Hadrian Potter- The Snake like Lion
by Lord of mystics
Summary: 3 year old Harry Potter is abducted from Privet Drive by Remus Lupin at the behest of Lord Black who is desperate for a heir. While Harry grows up away from Wizarding World, Arcturus is also hot in the pursuit of Horcruxes he knew from Kreacher. Complete AU.
1. Chapter 1

**YEAR 1983, London**

The gentleman who was coming out of the phone booth was not dressed like the typical Londoner. Some might say that he looked like he was heading to a costume party or dress-up competition. If some ordinary person saw him they would say the man was wearing what appeared to be robes with a cloak billowing out behind him. His boots and belt were made of some obscure leather and adorned with silver buckles which resembled snake heads with small rubies for eyes. He also wore an odd assortment of gold jewellery. He topped off the whole ensemble with a pointed hat of all things.

He made his way, walking down the sidewalk imperiously, not paying any attention to the people gawking at him in wonder. To him these people (muggles) were of no consequence. He neither knew them nor did he have any desire to interact with any of them. If he ever needed to be wary of anyone, that would be other wizards. That's right, this man was a wizard and there were a lot of them. Sadly, not as many as the wizards would have liked. There were enough to keep their hidden world running but not enough that they could live openly co-existing with muggles without facing any threat from them.

This fine man, who was tall, heavily built, had a long face, sharp nose, brown eyes and a mustache which was curled up at the ends was coming from the Office of the Minister of Magic. The bumbling fool Fudge had refused his request. His grandson who was also his heir had been incarcerated at the wizarding prison Azkaban. They said that he had betrayed the Potters which had lead to the death of Lilly and James, that he had hunted down and murdered Peter Pettigrew and no less than twelve muggles had also died as collateral damage. This man was the Lord of House Black, Arcturus Orion Black and his heir was Sirius Black who he felt was the only respectable Black to have come along in the family in the last two generations. He turned into a deserted alley and vanished into thin air spinning on his heels.

You see, the wizarding world had been through a civil war which had ended just two years ago when the leader of the dark wizards, Lord Voldemort (stupid name) had fallen before a toddler of 15 months of age. Arcturus Orion Black's descendants were also involved in the war on both sides. The war had left him a broken man.

He had stayed away from the war. He had no desire to support the upstart who presented himself as a self-styled lord and Arcturus did not participate in the war from either side. He had however given the choice to his children to support whichever side of the conflict that they favoured. He had been living away in the chateau of the family on the continent in seclusion for the last two years after his brother-in-law and friend Charlus Potter had been killed. His sister Dorea had died a few days before him and the death of Charlus felt like the end of the world to him. Together they both had faced Grindelwald in his war and had survived to tell the tale. A bond of brotherhood was formed between them which was further strengthened by the marriage of Charlus and Dorea.

He had been in France when he received the news that his wayward heir had been arrested after he supposedly killed his once best friend Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles. The story was that Peter had caught up to him forcing him to confess that he had betrayed James and Lily Potter's secret to Voldemort which had resulted in their deaths.

He did not believe a word of it obviously but he needed to hear it from Sirius. He had hastily returned to Wizarding Britain to be informed that Sirius had been consigned to Azkaban to serve a life sentence by the War Tribunal consisting of the former Minister of Magic Milicent Bagnold, Head of DMLE Bartemius Crouch Senior (who had the reputation of being tough on death eaters even though his own son was one) and Wilkins Addington, the head Auror. He had tried to find the records of the trial of Sirius Black but they were closed to him citing that they had been sealed under the Official Secrets Act and no one except the officers of Law Enforcement could see them. As the name of Black was scorned upon, no one was willing to help him. He had approached Cornelius Fudge with the offer of gracious donations to the ministry or to a charity of his choosing but the minister refused to budge. Perhaps someone else was pulling his strings.

Since the minister had refused to help him, he was left heirless unless he allowed Narcissa's boy to ascend and that simply could not be done. The Malfoy name was the subject of scorn in France and he knew the reason why perfectly well. He would rather melt down his galleons and destroy his estates than let Malfoy touch them.

He needed an heir and all of his children were incarcerated in prison. Pollux and Druella were severely ill and not expected to live beyond a year or two more. Cygnus had also died some time during the last year and it looked like Wulburga would follow suit soon. His sister Charis who had married into the Crouch Family had died years before the war had even started. Her only heir Barty Crouch Jr. had died in Azkaban shortly after he was sent there. Cedrella had been disowned by Orion Phineas Black for marrying a blood traitor and the Weasleys would never welcome him in their home anyway. His sister Callidora who had married into the Longbottom family had died long before the war started. Her grandson along with his wife were permanent residents of St. Mungo's permanent spell damage ward due to overexposure to the cruciatus curse at the hands of Barty Crouch Jr. and Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black with her husband and brother-in-law. It was heart breaking to see that his family was destroying itself. His sister Cassiopeia was living in France away from the debacle that was Wizarding Britain and never married. His sister Lucretia Prewett nee Black was also ill and expected to live only for a couple of years. Her children and nephews had died in the war and the House of Prewett was at the point of extinction with only Molly Weasley nee Prewett being alive and married to Arthur Septimus Weasley who was his nephew. Dorea was dead with her husband and her children and there was only a boy left who would probably be 3 years old now.

His brother Castor had sired Alpharad who had been cast-off the family while Pollux had sired three daughters Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa. Andromeda had married a muggle-born and her mother Druella Black had blasted her off the family tree and had requested that Arcturus cast her out of the family but he refused to do so. Being the head of House, it was his privilege and he had allowed his children to have freedom in these matters. Bellatrix had agreed to a betrothal and married Rodolphus Lestrange while Narcissa was married off to Lucius Malfoy. He had wanted to object to these marriages but kept his peace when he realised that perhaps they would resent him for this choice. His other grandson Regulus Arcturus Black had died under mysterious circumstances and he had failed to find out anything more about it. His wife Melania Black nee Macmillan had died 7 years ago and he was just living waiting for the clock to run down.

**Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley, London**

He arrived in the alley and entered the bank in a nonchalant manner staying aloof from people around him. He approached a teller, barking at him, "I am here to see Grimjaw."

The teller bowed low to him, "Of course Lord Black."

The teller accompanied him to one side. Then through a maze of corridors and led him to an ornate wooden door with the words, "Grimjaw: Manager to Black family." stencilled on it in gold letters.

The teller rapped on the door and barked, "Lord Black here to see you Account Manager, Grimjaw".

Arcturus entered the chamber and faced a goblin that was ancient even by Goblin standards, stooping with most of his teeth missing. He rose from his seat, "Lord Black, it is good that you are here. We have business to discuss and not enough time".

Arcturus scrutinised him closely and sat still for sometime waiting for the goblin to speak. When it was clear that he was not going to do so, Arcturus started speaking, "I have certain business which must be taken care of before we can delve into other matters. Is Alpharad dead?"

The Goblin nodded grimly, "Alpharad Black had moved to the USA after being cast out of the family by Lord Orion Phineas Black. He died there leaving behind a substantial fortune to be inherited by Sirius Orion Black."

Arcturus sat in contemplation, silently mourning the death of one more of his family. Some time passed before he spoke, "How many potential heirs do I have Grimjaw?"

Grimjaw shuffled some parchments before he answered, "As of now there are three potential heirs who can ascend to the Lordship in case of your untimely demise. One is your heir Sirius Orion Black however he cannot ascend because he is incarcerated in Azkaban which makes him invalid for this. The second is Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. The third is Nymphadora Tonks daughter of Theodore Tonks and Andromeda Tonks nee Black who can ascend in case there are no male heirs."

Arcturus sighed, "It looks like there are no respectable heirs left to ascend to the Black family lordship. Narcissa's boy will have to ascend after all."

The goblin who had been browsing through some pieces of parchment and was looking at the family tree for the House of Black said, "It looks like you have another heir, Lord Black."

Arcturus's countenance immediately brightened, "What do you mean? Who is this heir? How can he ascend?"

The goblin pointed out that his sister Dorea had a living grandson who was also connected to Sirius with a bronze link. He said, "This one, Harold James Potter has a double claim to heirship, both as your grand-nephew and as the god-son of your grandson, Sirius."

Arcturus knew what the god-father, god-son bond meant. It meant that Sirius would not have been able to harm the boy in any way. This gave him two important gifts: the absolute proof that his grandson is innocent and an heir. An heir who would bring glory to their family name again. But there was one rather significant obstacle in the way, a wizard by the name of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Everyone knew that Albus had hidden the boy after that unfortunate night. While Albus was on cordial terms with Arcturus courtesy of his participation in the Grindelwald war, he refused to tell him where the boy was being hidden. He had however hinted that the boy was being hidden behind Blood Wards and that had stunned him. Blood magic was one of the most complicated magics but it also hinted that the boy was being hidden at the home of one of his kin. Arcturus knew that no other Potter was alive anymore and therefore it was logical that the boy would be hosted with his mother's relatives. True that they were not magicals but blood was blood.

"Lord Black,", the Goblin's voice brought him out of his musings, "If it is all the same to you, I want to resign from my post on account of my age. As my successor, I recommend Iron Tooth. He is well versed with the Black accounts and would serve you more efficiently than me."

Since his concentration was somewhere else altogether, he waved him off saying, "I approve it Grimjaw. Tell him about his duties and that I keep irregular hours to visit the bank and do not like to wait."

The goblin nodded, "I will let him know Lord Black. Good day."

Arcturus walked out of the bank with a lot on his mind. He had a lost heir to find. And what's more, once he was found, he had to abduct him and hide him from the Wizarding world. He disappeared from Diagon alley as soon as he exited the bank.

**Grimmauld Place**

He appeared in the Black Town house at #12, Grimmauld Place. As he stepped towards the meeting room an elf appeared before him, bowing low to him and croaked, "Master is back." The elf was getting on in age, was stooping but looked relatively clean and healthy compared to when Arcturus had come to live in the townhouse two years ago.

He turned to the elf, "Kreacher, go and inform Wulburga that I am calling a House Convocation and she is expected to be present in the meeting room in 10 minutes."

The elf bowed low and disappeared with a low pop.

After 10 minutes, Wulburga Black entered the meeting room trying to look like a helpless, docile woman instead of the shouting, temper tantrum throwing hag that she was. She bowed to him, "My Lord, did you call for me?"

He directed her to one of the seats, "Take a seat, Wulburga. This might take a while."

As she sat, he asked the first question, "Tell me Wulburga, why Sirius had to leave the house?"

She was silent not willing to say anything knowing it would backfire on her. As she sat for sometime without saying anything Arcturus gritted his teeth and said, "So, you say nothing. Perhaps, if you had freely admitted your guilt, I may have tempered my judgement against you. Of course, I already know what you did to my grandson because I heard it all from Dorea. She has given me a detailed account of all of your abuses. How you were forcing him to support Voldemort. You forced away the only respectable Black to have been born into the family by your foul ways. Then you had the audacity to burn him off of the family tree. That is the prerogative of the Lord and not anyone else. You assumed too much authority when you really had none."

She said nothing but shivered. Arcturus who was her uncle before her marriage had never used this tone with her even when she did really nasty things. This time was different. She could not even leave the meeting because the House Convocation forbid her from doing so.

Arcturus who perhaps had not finished was asking, "What happened to Regulus?"

Her eyes watered and she said in a tearful voice, "I do not know, My Lord. He was serving the dark lord and one day he informed me that he was going on a mission and never returned. The Aurors never reported having killed him and neither the Dark Lord nor his followers brought any news."

Arcturus was seething in anger, "So you drove one son away from the family with your foulness and then you coerced the other into the service of Voldemort (she shuddered). For what? For glory? Tell me Wulburga what glory were you seeking when you decided to force your son to follow a self styled lord when you did not even know about the origins of that megalomaniac? You have as good as killed your son. You have brought shame to the House of Black with your nefarious activities. For this you need to be punished."

She fell at his feet, wailing, "No. No, my Lord. I seek your forgiveness."

Arcturus who had stood now with his wand in his hand summoned the elf, "Kreacher."

Kreacher appeared before him with a loud pop, bowing low, "Yes Lord Black?"

Arcturus roared, "Wulburga Black, you have humiliated the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black by your foul deeds and besmirched its reputation. I Lord Arcturus Orion Black hereby confine you to this townhouse from whence you shall never leave. Kreacher will take care of all your needs and you will breathe your last in this house. You will not be given a portrait to grace the walls like your glorious ancestors and your crypt will be forgotten. So I say so mote it be."

Wulburga had collapsed to the ground, still crying while Arcturus turned to the elf, "Kreacher, you were personally bound to Regulus Arcturus Black. What happened to your master?"

Kreacher looked like he was fighting himself for a minute, his hands wringing, trying to close his mouth to stop from speaking. Arcturus noted all this while watching the elf with a critical eye. As he became certain that the elf was battling himself to not speak, he addressed the elf formally, "Kreacher, you are bound for your life to the House of Black and I the Lord of House Black command you to speak about what happened to Regulus. This order of mine supersedes any that might have been given to you by Regulus Arcturus Black."

Kreacher started telling about when the Dark Lord had asked Regulus to enlist a house elf for him. He had offered Kreacher. That the Dark Lord had used him to test the defenses of the underground cave and how Regulus had died while trying to retrieve the locket. As he finished the tale, Kreacher broke down crying and Arcturus also felt pity for the elf but pride for Regulus who had defied Voldemort as he realised that the so-called Dark Lord was a charlatan and a coward.

He asked the elf to bring out the locket. He was stunned to see that it was the famed locket of Slytherin. He could feel the foulness coming out of it. It nagged somewhere in his mind of a magic that he had heard about but forgotten. He entered the library to bring out the tome which contained the darkest of magics all the while praying that this was not what he suspected. He found the term Horcrux easily enough. He learned how it could be made and how to detect if an object was a horcrux. He cast a few diagnostic spells and quickly confirmed that he was holding a horcrux. There were two ways to destroy it, one of them being Fiendfyre and the other being Basilisk Venom. Basilisk Venom was extremely rare and he was no longer strong enough to cast the fiendfyre spell. Perhaps he would have to ask the Goblins. Speaking of Goblins, he had some declarations to be made for which he decided to act without delay.

**Next day, Gringotts**

Arcturus was sitting in front of Ragnok, king of the Goblins. The Goblin King did not meet with just anyone, but when it was Lord Black, one of the biggest account holders at the bank, the meeting was granted immediately.

Ragnok greeted the wizard, "How can Gringotts serve you, Lord Black?"

He responded to the goblin, "I have to ask you certain questions but I need to be certain that what we discuss will not find its way back to the Ministry or Albus Dumbledore. It is imperative that these questions remain a secret for the time being."

The goblin punched a button on his table and then said, "the privacy wards are active now Lord Black. I am bound by the obligations of the post I hold. Nothing that has been confided by you in me would leave this chamber."

Arcturus leaned closer to him, "What do you know about Horcruxes?"

The goblin's face turned red with anger, "If you were anyone else Lord Black, I would have thrown you into a dragon pen for just mentioning that word. But I can understand how you might know about them. I know what a horcrux is and we hate them with all fervor. They are a perversity of magic and they ruin treasure."

Arcturus brought out the Slytherin necklace and told him all about the story of the necklace and how he came into possession of it, "This is a horcrux of Voldemort and I want you to destroy it with fiendfyre. I fear there may be many more and if I come across any, I will send them to you to destroy for a reasonable fee. Will Gringotts do that for me?"

The goblin king grinned ferally, "Totally agreeable Lord Black. In fact I will send this one for destruction right now. Would you like what remains of it after it is destroyed?"

He nodded, "A time may come when I will need to show these. I want to be prepared for such an eventuality."

The goblin clapped his hands and two goblins entered. He barked orders to them in his language and as they left, he turned towards Arcturus, "Will there be anything else, Lord Black?"

He nodded, "As it happens, I wish to know if the Potters had left a will left about who should get the custody of their son? I distinctly remember that no such will was found."

The goblin nodded, "There is a copy in their family vault which can be accessed only by their son when he comes to eleven years of age. Being the last Potter, he would become the head of his family though would not ascend to Lordship till he reached majority.".

He nodded, "It is as I had guessed. I am guardian of his god-father and I wish to take custody of him and to declare him the heir of Black when he reaches the age of eight."

Ragnok asked, "But as far as we know, he has been sent to live with his relatives and no one knows the location. How would you do it?"

He answered the goblin, "Leave that to me Ragnok. Suffice it to say that I will raise him as my heir and he will enter our world knowing of his history and his family."

The goblin decided not to ask because it was better to stay clear lest he and the goblin nation be implicated as accomplices in the crime. There was one little use that he could make of it though, "Lord Black, if you succeed in your venture please bring him to the bank when he turns eight so we can appoint his bank manager as the last account manager of house of Potter is dead."

He nodded and turned to him, "Now for the other business that I have here. I want to annul the marriage of Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black with Rudolphus Lestrange and cast her out of the family for bringing shame to the family by her deeds. Her marriage contract had a clause which provided that if the groom was unable to provide for the bride due to reasons of incarceration, the marriage will be annulled and the dowry paid shall be returned to the House of Black. I wish for you to confiscate her personal vault in reparation for her atrocities towards the Longbottoms and charge the dowry on the Lestrange family vault."

The goblin nodded, "Very well Lord Black. As you make the proclamation, I will start confiscating her vault and send you a list of its contents."

He pulled out his wand and grasped it in both of his hands, "I Lord Arcturus Orion Black, Lord of House Black do hereby annul the marriage of Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black with Rudolphus Lestrange on the grounds of his incarceration rendering him unable to provide for her. I cast Bellatrix Lestrange out of the family for bringing infamy to the family name by pledging fealty to a charlatan who is a known criminal. Henceforth she will be known as Bellatrix No name. So I say so mote it be."

Ragnok nodded, "It is done Lord Black. I will confiscate her vault and send you a list of the contents."

He nodded and took leave of the Goblin King as the remains of the Slytherin necklace were returned to him.

**Black town House**

As he returned to the Black Townhouse, he found that there were a number of trunks in the meeting room, full of heirlooms and books from the library. Kreacher had packed the books and all the heirlooms of the family as he had desired. He called, "Lipsy, Mipsy, Tipsy."

Three elves appeared and bowed low to him, "What can we do for you master?"

He addressed them, "Take these trunks to Black Castle. I will be living there for the foreseeable future. The townhouse sole occupant shall be Wulburga Black from now on."

The elves disappeared one after another and he summoned Kreacher, "Kreacher, I am leaving you in-charge of the Townhouse to look after Wulburga. If she needs anything, you are to procure it for her. I have allowed a subsistence of 2000 G per month for her which you will collect from Gringotts from the office of Iron Tooth, Manager of accounts of House Black. You are forbidden from contacting the Malfoys by any means."

The elf bowed low and Arcturus disappeared only to appear in a little apartment situated somewhere in London. This was a secret property that he had bought in Muggle London and had made good use of it at times. He called his personal elf, "Travistor."

The elf appeared with a low pop and bowed low. This elf was tall, had big brown eyes the size of tennis balls, his big ears flapping back and forth, and wore a robe with the Black crest embroidered on it. He said to Arcturus in a deep voice, "You called, Master?"

He addressed him, "Travistor, I am leaving for the Black Castle this evening and I want you to find a person and bring him to me when you find him. This task will take precedence over all others for now."

He gave the details of the person he wanted to be found and twisted his Lord ring clockwise and disappeared with a tug behind his navel.

**Two months later, Black Castle**

Lord Arcturus had been living in the Black Castle for the last two months. He had chosen to live here so that no one would know his whereabouts. The Goblins had sent him a list of the contents of Bellatrix's vault with the remains of Hufflepuff's cup telling him that another horcrux had been found in her vault. He had shuddered at the thought of the lengths the man had gone to trying to obtain immortality. It made him wonder exactly how many horcruxes were out there. He also was certain of one thing, Dark Lord Voldemort was not dead and would return one day. When that day came, Harry Potter will have to face him. If Arcturus got his hands on the boy, he would make sure that he was able to send Voldemort back to the fiery pits of hell.

He had written a letter to Dowager Lady Longbottom expressing his grief over the incapacitation of his great nephew and his wife and to request a meeting. She was initially reluctant to allow him but had agreed to meet after a series of letters and he had visited her in the Longbottom manor.

_**-Flashback begins. Longbottom Manor-**_

As he stepped out of the floo, Augusta Longbottom stood there, looking stern. He greeted her traditionally like a Pureblood Lord and she led her to the parlor.

She stiffly asked him, "How can I serve you Lord Black?"

He started in his most apologetic tone, "Lady Longbottom, I apologise for the acts of erstwhile Bellatrix Nameless and grieve for the injuries inflicted upon my great nephew and his wife. Is your heir well?"

Augusta sniffed, "If you had not cast her out of the family, I would not have agreed to meet with you. My heir is well and is being looked after. I just wish that I also had got Harry Potter in my custody."

He immediately straightened, "What do you mean?"

She addressed him, "Harry Potter is godson of Alice Longbottom and James and Lily Potter were Neville's godparents."

He thought that it was an interesting wrinkle and something worth pursuing as part of his long-range plans. For now he had to do what he had come to do. "Lady Longbottom, I have banished Bellatrix and claimed her vault in reparations. I am committing the contents of her vault to you by way of reparations for the irreparable harm and as a sign offering of goodwill and peace between our houses. I also hope that House Longbottom will support House Black if the need arises", he made his proposition and presented her a cheque for 1 million Galleons which had been obtained after he had sold the contents of Bellatrix's vault. While Augusta did not wanted to accept it, honour demanded that she accept reparations made in good faith lest she wanted to have blood feud with the one make the reparations. Left without options, she accepted the cheque.

Augusta sniffed, "Have you banished Sirius Black off the family tree?"

He told her what the world knew, "He was struck off the family tree after he left the family in the middle of his studies. That was when he refused to bow to his mother's demands and become a death eater."

The meeting did not go any later than that and he had returned after securing House Longbottom as an ally if the need arose.

_**-Flash back ends-**_

His reverie was broken by the sound of a loud pop as the elf, "Travistor." appeared in the foyer of the castle with a person who was passed out from having been drunk. The elf bowed to him, "Travistor has found Remus Lupin, master. He was living in Blackmoor and is a werewolf therefore I had hard time to catch him."

Arcturus was surprised to know of this little bit of information but it did not budge him from his proposed plan. He turned to the elf, "Take Mr. Lupin to the guest chamber in the castle and then come to see me in my study."

The elf returned ten minutes later and Arcturus handed him a letter, "This is a missive meant for Mr. Democlas Belby who has recently discovered a new potion which can help a werewolf to keep his sanity during his transformations. Take this letter to him and wait for his reply."

The elf took the missive and disappeared while Arcturus waited for the guest to wake up from his alcohol induced coma.

**Cardiff, England**

Democlas Belby had just sat down for dinner this evening as a strange elf appeared before him, bowing and presented a letter to him. It was sealed with the crest of House Black and this surprised him. He never had any communication with Lord Black and certainly he had not expected it. After casting a few diagnostic spells to ensure that there was nothing wrong with the letter, he opened it. It was written in an ornate hand and the way a Pureblood would write-

_**"Dear Mr. Belby,**_

_**My name is Arcturus Orion Black, Lord of House Black. I am writing to extend my congratulations to you upon your successful invention of the wolfsbane potion. It will be a ray of hope for hundreds of those cursed with lycanthropy though unwillingly.**_

_**I further wish to solicit your help in a delicate matter. In return, I will pay you a stipend for your assistance. I want an unending supply of wolfsbane potion every month from you for the foreseeable future. In return for 1000G every month to contribute toward furthering your research upon the subject. I would further fund your research should you be in need of funds anytime in addition to the help already promised.**_

_**Needless to say, this conversation of ours needs to remain secret from the world as it would mean troubles for a law abiding citizen who was cursed with lycanthropy and is a war- hero.**_

_**I await your reply with this elf who has brought this missive to you.**_

_**Arcturus Orion Black**_

_**Lord of House Black**_

_**Order of Merlin, First Class"**_

This letter changed things for him. The ministry grants were not sufficient for his research. He had to make up the difference out of his meagre royalties just to keep going. The royalties were not much because the ingredients were costly and very few werewolves had the means to pay, even with a very small mark-up. It was really hard for anyone afflicted with lycanthropy to get or hold any kind of employment. 1000G per month was not an amount to sneeze at nor was the promise of funding for his research whenever he required it. He immediately wrote a lengthy letter to Lord Black praising his kindness and promising to supply him with all the wolfsbane that he required.

**Black Castle**

Remus Lupin woke up in a dark room and panicked. He had no memory of where he was or how he came to be there. As he reached for his wand in his clothes, he found it to be missing. This was a recipe for disaster. What was more; his legs were shackled to the bed with silver chain, the metal digging into his skin.

"So you wake up at last, Mr. Lupin," said a voice and he noticed a person was standing in darkness with a hood over his head and a camouflage covering his face. As Remus did not answer the man continued, "You know I expected more from you as I know of your reputation of being an accomplished wizard but you disappointed me."

Remus growled, "Why don't you show your face to me and you will know how much of an accomplished wizard I am. It is easy to be posturing as a powerful wizard when one is standing in the shadows."

The man laughed, "you are more of a marauder than I had initially thought." He noticed Remus's mouth was hanging open and asked him, "What! Did you not expect me to know what you all called your little group? I also know that your friends were unregistered animagi and that you are a werewolf."

Remus was worried now, "Who are you and why have you captured me like this?"

The man started grimly, "Because you failed in your duties, Mr. Lupin. While your best friend died protecting his wife and child, one of your other friends allegedly killed your third best friend with twelve muggles. Who was the victim in these circumstances? The little boy who became your responsibility as his parents died and his god parents were either incarcerated or incapacitated. What did you do? You found solace in fire whisky."

Remus was embarrassed but was not going to let this wizard get the better of him and rallied valiantly, "And what could I do when I have no means to sustain the child and myself? No one will give a respectable job to a werewolf irrespective of how he was cursed. Despite my talents I have to forage for myself while going from one job to another. How could I care for Harry when I cannot keep my sanity during my transformation? How could I take the risk of harming him every time that the moon is full?"

The man smiled sadly, "I can understand your predicament and sympathise with you. I can help you if you are willing to help me."

Remus snapped, "I do not even know who you are. I do not know what you want. Why then should I agree to help you?"

The man raised a hand before his face and Arcturus Orion Black's face appeared, "You do know me Mr. Lupin."

Remus was shocked to see the older man before him. He had heard from others that Lord Black had left London forever and yet here he was or perhaps they were not in England altogether. He asked the older man, "what do you want Lord Black?"

The man smiled, "As you know Sirius Black was Harry Potter's god father and as such, Harry is his heir. Apart from that, he is also grandson of my sister Dorea. I want to make him the heir of Black but I do not know where Dumbledore is keeping him. He refused to tell me yet hinted that the boy is living with his blood relatives. As all the blood relatives on his father's side are dead, it stands to reason that those relatives would be on his mother's side. I want you to find the boy and bring him here. In Black Castle no one can find him. This place is secure from the outside world by a Fidelius Charm of which I am the secret keeper. I will raise the boy the magical way. Since I am old, I want you to stay here and look after the boy as an uncle would do. In return for your services, I would hire you in the capacity of Steward to House Black and House Potter and you will be paid accordingly. Do you accept?"

Remus thought for a while and said, "I will need some time to think about it, Lord Black."

The older man smiled, "Of course. Take your time. I do not need to remind you that you cannot leave this place against my wishes nor will your wand be returned to you. however you are free to move about the castle and the grounds."

He left Remus to mull things over and the werewolf thought about it hard. He of course knew that Dumbledore had hidden Harry Potter in the Muggle World but he did not know Lily's sister's address. He felt that it would be good to raise Harry in a wizarding household so he would be well versed with the nuances of the wizarding world and not feel intimidated by it when it was time to return to it. Not to mention, Lord Black's offer sounded good for him also and he would get to raise Harry by himself, something that he should have done anyhow. There was a question which he had to ask the older wizard however and that could not wait.

He called for someone and an elf appeared which freed him from his bonds and took him to a bathroom which was better than the Prefect's Bathroom at Hogwarts. After an hour long refreshing bath, he was taken to a dining hall where he was served mouth watering dishes and after he had sated his hunger, he asked for an audience with Lord Black.

The elf took him to the study where the older man was engrossed in reading a book. Remus stood at a respectful distance waiting for the older man to look up. After 5 minutes, the man looked up and smiled, "You could have said something Mr. Lupin. If I had not looked up, I might not have noticed you."

Remus firmly said, "Lord Black I have a question to ask."

The man replied, "Oh? Please do go on." In fact Arcturus had been waiting for him to ask this question which he anticipated from the younger man.

Remus said, "Lord Black, do you think Sirius was guilty of betraying the Potters and murdering Peter with those 12 muggles?"

The man sighed, "I am surprised that you even need to ask, Mr. Lupin. I had thought that you would well know the answer to this question having been their best friend for all these years. Tell me, do you think that the boy who walked out on his family because they were pressuring him to join Voldemort would become a death eater? A boy who loved his friend more than his family would betray him? Do you think it is possible that they might have made some elaborate plan to deceive the world and it backfired on them? I have tried to find proof of the answer to these questions for the last two years but no answer presented itself to me. You were their friend and you would know it better than me. I cannot believe that Sirius could have betrayed the Potters to Voldemort nor do I believe that he killed Peter Pettigrew and those muggles. The only way that I could believe it is the day that I hear it from Sirius himself. And I swear by Merlin that if he has done it, I will kill him myself."

Lupin was amazed to see the other man's zeal and was also thoughtful of the points he raised. He turned to Arcturus, "Lord Black, I accept your proposal. What are my instructions?"

The man smiled, "Now we are talking. Since you have agreed to my proposal, call me Arcturus in private and Lord Black on formal occasions. The first problem is that we do not know where Harry Potter might be and we need to rescue the boy. I cannot go and ask questions about him because that would cause suspicions so this would fall upon you. When you have secured him, you shall take him to an address where I will be waiting for you and from there we will return to Black Castle."

Remus nodded and Arcturus dismissed him with instructions to select a chamber in the castle as his own and to give a list of his requirements to the elf Travistor.

**Hogs head, Hogsmead**

Remus Lupin was sitting in the Hogs head inn waiting for Hagrid to come for his evening outing. In his school years, they had noted Hagrid's routine and it was helpful to him now. He knew the half-giant had a loose tongue and he would speak after a tankard of ale had been poured into him. Lord Black had given him a pouch of Galleons to get this job done. He was dutifully waiting for the half giant with a bottle of fire-whisky sitting in front of him.

The giant entered boisterously, saying his greeting to everyone when Remus hailed him, "Hagrid, over here."

Hagrid came almost running, "Remus! Whadyaa surpris. din't expect you here."

Remus smiled sadly, "I stopped going out after that fateful Hallowe'en night. Never even saw little Harry after that."

As the evening progressed, Remus subtly and carefully kept Hagrid's tankard full enough of fire whiskey so that there was always more to drink and empty enough so that the half-giant never caught on. Remus just kept him talking until he was sure that Hagrid had slipped enough cogs to answer any question without thinking about it. Then he moved in for the kill.

Hagrid", he said, slurring his speech just enough to sound pretty far gone himself even though he had been drinking butter-beer and pretty slowly at that, "what happened that day, when You-Know-Who disappeared?"

The half-giant said, "I rescued him that day from the traitor Sirius Black!... He said give him to me Hagrid. I will raise him but I had me orders... I refused and he gave me his bike... I wondered that time why he was giving it to me but I know now. He was a no-good death eater..."

Remus had listened to a lot more than he wanted to. If Sirius was responsible for betraying James and Lily, he would have taken the bike and fled. He would not have given it to Hagrid. May be there were some more facts to find here, but; he had a different job to do right now. He turned to Hagrid, "Do you know where Harry is? I wish I could see him."

Hagrid's eyes misted and he pulled out a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth from his pocket and blew his nose into it and sniffed, "he was a peaky looking thing when I gave him to Dumbledore in Little Whinging."

He realised what he had said and put his hand over his mouth and started muttering, "Should not have said that! I should not have said that!"

Remus hoped that Hagrid was deep enough in his cups that he would not remember what he had just divulged. He would have tried to obliviate Hagrid, but; this was a half-giant and getting any kind of spell to work on him was iffy at best. Instead, he just kept Hagrid talking about inconsequential matters, keeping his tankard partially full until Hagrid passed out. His mission accomplished, he settled the bill with the Aberforth (He knew Aberforth from the Order) and walked outside before disapparating.

**Little Whinging**

Remus knew three things: Harry's mother was a muggle-born named Lilly Evans when he first met her at Hogwarts; Harry had been placed with muggle relatives; and those muggles lived somewhere in Little Whinging. He had spent most of the day, going through newspaper archives, trying to find a reference of any kind to wedding announcements for someone named Evans and about the right age to be Lilly's muggle sibling. He then cross-referenced each of those married names with the muggle phone book for Little Whinging and wrote down the addresses. He knew that there would be wards around the property and that there had to be a boy, about three years old. With a dozen or so addresses to check, He started looking.

Little Whinging was little in name only. It was not an easy task to find a child in there. Remus had spent the last two days going down his list, checking each property for magical wards and for boys around age three. He was beginning to lose heart when he came to Dursley, V., 4 Privet Drive. When he checked for wards, they were hard to detect, well-done and subtle, but; definitely present. There was also a large window overlooking the front garden which looked like it had been blown out from the inside, perhaps the effect of accidental magic. He could also plainly hear a young child throwing a temper tantrum through the open pain of the broken window. But, they were calling him duddykins.

"Harry might be in there", he thought, "It's worth a look."

Disillusioning himself and silencing his feet, Remus walked up to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell. The temper tantrum suddenly stopped and Remus heard the floorboards inside creaking as someone came to the door. A monstrosity of a man opened the door. The man was so fat that he did not seem to have a neck.

As the man searched for whoever it was that rang the doorbell, Remus slipped past him to the stairs where he stood out of the way until the man slammed the door shut again.

He growled, "Cursed neighborhood kids playing pranks again!", as he made his way back to the front room, "I swear that if I ever get my hands on them..."

Careful not to bump into anything, Remus followed the man to the front room. There he found a tall, thin, horse-faced woman with a very fat, pink-skinned boy with brown eyes and blond hair. Not the green-eyed, dark haired child Remus was looking for. "This must be 'Duddykins'," Remus thought. He looked around, but found nobody but these three in the room. There was no sign of another boy.

Carefully, Remus left the room and went up the stairs. There was no sign of another child there either. Remus was beginning to wonder if "Duddykins" was a muggle-born wizard. Before he gave up on this house, he cast the Homnum Revelio and found that there was a fourth person in the house, under the stairs of all places! Already, he could feel the wolf inside him beginning to bay for the blood of these muggles. He had to remind himself that his mission was to retrieve Harry, not dispense justice.

Carefully, he made his way to the kitchen. Fortunately, the other child was starting up with his tantrum again and that covered the sound of Remus opening the door to the cupboard under the stairs. What he found there nearly tore the heart right out of him. A child, obviously half-starved, wearing clothes those were both too short and too wide for him, filthy and worn. The boy was sleeping on a soiled baby bed, with filth and grime on his body and four fresh marks of finger across his cheeks. There was nothing more in the cupboard except for a blanket that looked familiar to him.

Without another word, Remus took Harry up in his arms, blanket and all. He disillusioned the two of them and carefully made his way out through the kitchen door. The moment he was outside of the wards, he disapparated.

They apparated just outside of the wards at the house in London. Arcturus was waiting there to receive them. The moment that Remus carried Harry inside, the three of them travelled by port-key to port of France. From there they flooed to the chateau owned by House of Black. Finally, they flooed to Black Castle through an international floo transit paid for by Lord Black.

**Reviews welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- **Guys, I am over whelmed with so much love shown to the first chapter. Thanks for loving this fic. We will go to Hogwarts with this chapter.

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**1983, Hogwarts**

Albus Dumbledore had been away to a session of the International Council of Wizards in France when Harry Potter had been abducted from his relative's place. When he returned to Hogwarts after the session and entered his office, he went to check the ward monitors he had placed on Harry Potter out of habit and was shocked to find that one of the monitors had broken down. The one related to the blood wards, to be precise. The blood ward was first grade protection against Tom and his followers. As long as his mother's blood lived at Privet Drive, he would be safe from Tom and his followers. Anyone with intent to harm him could not enter the property. For the wards to fall could mean only one of two things. Either the Dursleys had given him up to someone else or Harry Potter was dead. A quick check of the ward which was tied to Harry's well-being was intact, meaning that he was alive not that it indicated anything about his health.

Panicked, he threw a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace and called, "Mrs. Figg's, Privet Drive' and stepped into the emerald flames. As the floo ejected him, he hastily stepped out of it, his wand in one hand and his face a myriad of emotions- worry, resentment, and anger.

"Where were you in the name of Merlin?", he heard a scathing tone of voice say and turned to find Arabella Figg standing, glaring at him intensely. Before he could say anything, she started ranting to him, "Do you realize how many times I tried to floo call you? Harry Potter has been missing for a week now and you did not bother to reply to my floo calls."

Dumbledore sent a silencing spell at her and sighed, "Arabella, I have just returned to Wizarding Britain from France where I was in a conference of the ICW. The first thing I noticed is that the blood wards were broken. Did anyone attack Privet Drive? Is little Harry safe?"

He undid the silencing spell and she growled, "I haven't seen him since a week ago when I had gone to Petunia under some pretense and she didn't even allow me in her house. I tried to find him a few more times but I could not find him. I tried to floo call you dozens of times but there was no response. Their living room window was blown out from the inside, but; the family seemed to be fine. There was no other sign of violence."

Dumbledore was more worried. He had kept Harry Potter here away from the wizarding world in the hope that he would grow up to be an innocent humble teen unharmed by death eaters and the boy had been taken away from the safest place that Albus could find.

With a flick of his wand, his robes were transfigured into a suit and he walked up nonchalantly to the door of #4 Privet Drive while his eyes kept darting around to be aware of any danger lurking within the shadows.

He rang the door bell and Vernon Dursley opened the door only enough so that he could peek out of the opening growling, "We are not interested in buying anything you might..." His words were lost in his throat as he found a wand pointed at him. He never had any practical experience with wizards but he of course knew what a wand was. Petunia had told him about the wizarding world after the freak of a child had come to live with them.

He squeaked, a sound he later could swear he had never made before, and Dumbledore shoved him out of the way with his wand and entered the house, walking to the sitting room. Petunia who had come into the hall by now yelped as she saw Dumbledore and he asked gravely, "Petunia where is Harry?"

She wanted to run from here but knew there was no way she could outrun him. She tried to speak firmly but it came out as a whimper, "We... we don't know. He is... he is gone."

Dumbledore had no time for niceties so he petrified both of them and performed legilimency on them to see their memories. What he saw in those memories appalled him. It was mortifying to think that this woman had been so cruel to a child, a child who was her blood, son of her own dead sister. He saw memories of mistreatment of the toddler and the violence that Vernon meted out at the times when the child performed some accidental magic. He also saw where they were keeping the child- in a cupboard under the stairs! He wanted to hex them into oblivion but knew that was not the way. He rather decided to frame them up for prosecution by the muggle law enforcement authorities for losing a child who was in their care. Some of his squib associates who were in law enforcement would happily agree to do this. He saw the memory of that day when Harry Potter allegedly disappeared. He saw Vernon opening the door and then closing it as he could not see anyone at the door but unlike Vernon he noticed the blur which happened when someone was employing a disillusionment charm.

As he was done with legilimency, he started casting a myriad of detection spells in all directions but he could gather nothing from them. The incident had happened a week ago so there was no active magic in the air but there must have been some residual magic unless that person had been concealing his magical signature. That was some complicated magic but it hid one's identity well.

He turned to Petunia, "By losing Harry, you have disappointed your dead sister who loved you. You have defiled her memory and I hope no harm has come to Harry Potter otherwise I myself will come and wreck vengeance upon you."

He unpetrified them and disapparated to Sheffield. He had a retired Auror to find.

**1 week later, Hogwarts**

In the last week, Albus had asked all of his friends, accomplices and associates to help in the effort to locate the missing child but their collective efforts had yielded no results. There was no one who could tell them a thing about the missing child.

He had reluctantly met Madam Bones, Head of the DMLE, and told her about Harry's disappearance. She had chewed him out for his failure. One thing she also agreed upon was that they needed to keep this private because the Dark faction led by Malfoy was trying to establish its dominance in the Wizengamot which would be catastrophic. The only one standing between them and their goal was Albus Dumbledore who also had helped them to survive through the war with the help of his vaunted Order of the Phoenix.

It was the Order that had saved them from annihilation at the cost of the lives of many of its members during the war and Dumbledore was the only one who was feared by all of them collectively. Albus had roused the members of the Order like Podmore, Moody, Diggle to find any leads but there were none. He had tried to find Remus Lupin and he was told that Lupin was last seen to be living in Blackmoor three years ago and nobody had seen him since then. Of course he had not asked his Game Keeper Rubeus Hagrid or he would have got a lead in that direction.

He and Madam Bones had conducted discreet inquiries in the office of magic detection whose chief function was to see that underage muggle born students did not perform magic at their home during the summer. The detectors could detect if magic had been cast at a place but not the caster. They had learned that on the particular day, there was an incident of accidental magic by a toddler around 3-4 years of age at Privet Drive and then someone had performed the Homnum Revelio spell in the house followed shortly by disillusionment. Since the caster was an adult wizard, there was no means to track his identity. They found that the caster had disapparated the moment they were outside of the wards. They were not able to identify the apparition point.

When it became clear to him that he could not find Harry on his own, he had decided to break the news to Minerva. He called her in his office and said to her very gravely, "Minerva something has happened and I think you should be acquainted with the circumstances lest you find it out from someone else."

She studied his facial expression and was wary. If something could make Albus Dumbledore worried, it was really trouble. Being the Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock and Head Master of Hogwarts was thrice the burden and Albus bore it all without any worry so it was nothing related to any of those. Then the only other thing which could worry him was Harry Potter. Minerva had never been comfortable with the decision of leaving him at the doorstep of the muggles in the middle of the night. When Albus had explained the circumstances and his limited options she had to agree. She just wished that Charlus or Dorea were alive so they could have shouldered his upbringing what with Potter Manor being impenetrable and there was Potter Castle which the family had received in inheritance from the Peverells, one of the ancient families which ceased to exist 1000 years ago. Pity that the Potters were always in the thick of things and thus, there were only a handful around in every generation.

She looked into the electric blue eyes of Dumbledore and saw the sadness and regret in them and feared for the safety of the child. She asked in a small voice, "Has something happened with Harry Potter?"

Albus sighed, "Two weeks ago while I was in France, someone entered the Dursley home and took him away. From what my investigation yielded, it was a wizard but they were concealing their magical signature so it is possible that we will never find out who it was unless Harry Potter returns to us. I have forced Moody out of retirement, roused the Order to find him but nobody has a clue as to his whereabouts."

She wanted to shout, raise hell but knew it would would not pursed her lips in a thin line and asked him, "So what should we do?"

Albus shrugged, "There is nothing that we can do right now, Minerva. If the minister finds out then he will stop at nothing to oust me from the position of Head Master and Chief Warlock and we are still not over the effects of the war. The light lost a large number of its supporters while most of the dark faction is intact. If I am out of the Wizengamot, the dark faction will have no trouble in seizing power in the Wizengamot."

As Minerva left, Albus opened a drawer which contained memories. Early memories of Tom's life when he was a student, memories about his parents, grand-parent, and his uncle who had died in Azkaban a year ago but not before Dumbledore been able to obtain a memory from him. There was something about Tom's death that did not sit well with Dumbledore. Lack of a body was first. Then there was no indication of where he had gone or what happened to him. The only thing he was sure about was that Tom had disappeared that Halloween night but not dead. He had reluctantly looked into some dark magic books he had taken off the shelf in the library decades ago. One of the most evil books described the Horcrux, the vilest of soul magics and Dumbledore had shuddered at the thought that perhaps Tom had made one. Thus, he had started collecting memories, trying to document his life.

There was also a memory from an elf who was accused of accidentally killing her mistress. The witch was known to be the last in possession of two founder relics- the necklace of Slytherin and the cup of Hufflepuff and Tom had been regularly visiting her when he worked at Borgin and Burke. He had also found a memory from Slughorn in which Tom had asked him what a horcrux was but he had understood that the memory had been tampered with. Since then Horace had avoided him, not willing to give him access to the memory.

**Black Castle, 1985**

It had been two years since Harry Potter had been brought to the Black Castle and the boy had instantly loved the company of the people around him.

Arcturus doted on the boy all day long and would have spoiled him rotten if he had his way with him but Remus Lupin had put his foot down and made him obey some rules in his upbringing. While the boy was not deprived of anything, he was not over-indulged either. Sure he had a chamber full of toys, both magical and mundane but he was not allowed to be lost in the chamber all day long. Arcturus had started to tell him about magic, his families (both Black and Potter) and other little things which every pure-blood child should know, he also told him that all magicals were equal irrespective of their ancestry. He had seen how his children had destroyed themselves on the false notions of blood superiority and most were either dead or were incarcerated in Azkaban. Arcturus told him all he knew about Charlus and Dorea while Remus educated him about his father and mother.

When Harry was five years old, they had sent him to a muggle school so that he would have exposure to the muggle world too. In the muggle world, he was simply known as Hadrian Jameson. He was taught about everything that they teach there. One thing that was exciting was his accidental magic. He was powerful for his age and his accidental magic was equally spectacular. Once he had vanished all the legs of his chair but Travistor who was invisibly tailing the boy had repaired the damage before the muggles noticed. Once while he was taking a stroll in the school grounds, he was chased by a dog he had offended and the boy found himself on the roof. It had been hard to deal with but a few well placed memory charms had done the trick. As he grew, his incidents of accidental magic had lessened but they still happened.

Arcturus had been curious about the scar. His scar had refused to heal itself despite everything he he could do. He had tried everything that was in the books in his extensive library but nothing seemed to work. It always looked like the red angry lightning shaped scar it had been. Arcturus had not forgotten the horcruxes and had the thought that the boy could be one. There was nothing he knew or that he could find that told him if a living being could be a horcrux or what the effects would be. He had shared what he knew and his suspicions with Lupin and discreetly sent him all over Europe to find practitioners of soul magics and dark magic to find a way to rid Harry of the foul thing but nothing had been found in the 18 months. Finally he stumbled upon a mage in Greece who was said to live in a far-off mountain.

After a lot of trouble and constantly badgering him for 5 months, they were able to obtain an audience with the Mage. He was said to be around 400 years of age and was a recluse.

The mage lived in the side-cave of a mountain which was protected by so many wards that Arcturus's mind was boggled. There were all kinds of wards upon the entrance of the cave including blood wards and necromantic wards. The Mage Hippolytius was tall but stooping with age, snow white beard, gray eyes and a thundering voice. As they entered, he addressed them, "Welcome Arcturus Orion of Black, Remus Lyall of Lupin and Hadrian James of Potter."

After they were given a seat, Arcturus told him about his suspicions, of the horcruxes and the mage fell silent for a long time before he drew a wand and started casting a myriad of spells at the boy who had fallen asleep in Lupin's lap. After sometime, the mage had turned to both of them, "there is a little piece of soul of Voldemort residing in his scar. It is so little that it will not cause any trouble to him except draining his magic however if Voldemort succeeded in returning in a body during this life time, this soul shard would pose problems for the boy. Even right now it sort of acts as a connection between them but I do not think Voldemort is aware of it. Needless to say, if the soul shard is not extracted out of him soon, it will keep Voldemort alive."

Arcturus asked him what had been on his mind, "Revered Mage, is there a way to exorcise the soul shard out of him without harming the lad? Can you tell us how many horcruxes of his are out there?"

The mage sat in contemplation for a second before he started speaking, "The soul shard can be exorcised out of him but that would cause him immeasurable pain. He may pass out due to exhaustion. If he were any smaller, I would have refused it at this time but he is of age where he would live at the end of it and he is powerful enough that he would not be magically exhausted. Now the decision is yours. As to your second question, this soul shard is like the sixth part of his soul meaning there were at least 5 pieces when this one was formed."

Arcturus thought hard about it but Remus's mind was already made up, "Honoured Mage, please exorcise the soul shard out of him. I would rather see him in pain and agony once and for a short time than see him sharing a connection with that monster all the time. If this thing is keeping him alive, I want it gone." Seeing the werewolf's resolve, Arcturus had also agreed to exorcise the soul shard out of the lad.

The ritual which they had followed was very painful. They had undressed him and then laid him in between a symbol and the mage drew some blood from Harry and mixed it with a potion and drew some runes all over his body. After sometime five more wizards entered the cave and took their positions on their designated points and started chanting. The lengthy spells were about exorcism, banishing someone who did not belong, scorning someone for all the evil he had perpetrated all his life. After 10 minutes of chanting, the lad started to cry out in pain. It was such a howling sound that Arcturus wanted to pick him up and run away. Remus had grasped his hand and was keeping him rooted. The werewolf, who knew the pain of his own involuntary transformations at the full moon, gritted his teeth and looked on with stoic determination, as his eyes filled with tears. Perhaps he was experiencing all the pain that the boy was going through.

After an hour of excruciating pain during which the lad made an inhuman howling, an inky black darkness oozed from the lightning scar on his forehead. The mage trapped the foulness in a clay jar. He set the jar apart from them and destroyed it with fiendfyre before their eyes.

Arcturus offered a big bag of galleons to the mage who refused to touch it but pointed to his assistant who accepted it for him. The mage said, "I do not indulge in worldly matters anymore but this was a task which needed to be done for the betterment of this boy who will become a warrior beyond all renown. Tend to him well Arcturus Orion Black and he will bring glory to his family."

**Black Castle, 1986**

It had been a year since the boy had been exorcised of the soul fragment. His scar had healed well. All that remained of it was a thin, white zig-zag line where the angry, red mark had been. Glamour charms worked well enough on the boy for those occasions when he had to leave the grounds of the castle and Arcturus was content. Cassiopeia had visited him a year ago and when she found that he had an heir again, she had taken up residence in the castle teaching Harry wizarding customs. Arcturus had forbidden her from teaching him any dark magic. He planned to teach him Black Family Magic but that was the extent of it. The Black family had some very dark spells in its repertoire but most of its spells were borderline dark and since they were personal magic of his house, they could not be outlawed by the Wizengamot nor would Harry face any prosecution for using them. He planned to teach the boy to use those spells by his third year.

The boy still went to Muggle Primary where he was learning elementary things and Arcturus had no issue with it. He however insisted on physical education and put in him the habit of running every morning and had Lupin teach him swimming which the werewolf was happy to do. The boy was indoctrinated by the werewolf with a muggle sense of fashion and kept abreast with developments in the muggle world.

The werewolf had improved a lot since he had come to live at Black Castle. He now looked fit and well-fed. Gone was the tattered clothing he wore while he lived at Blackmoor. He doted on the boy and taught him everything about his father and his circle of friends. He did not sugar coat it when he told Harry that James had been a bully in his school year and of his rivalry with Severus Snape. He also told him about the conditions at school during those years as WIzarding World was tearing itself apart and there were lines drawn between the students even before they were sorted. He had also shown him photographs of his parents which were taken during their school years and in the later years and introduced him to everyone in the photos.

This year they were planning to start teaching him the theory of magic so that he would be ready when he got to Hogwarts. Remus was also preparing to tell him about his position in the Wizarding World, his parent's death, Sirius's alleged betrayal, Pettigrew's death and everything without drawing a conclusion as to his guilt.

Six months ago, Arcturus had visited Augusta Longbottom at the Longbottom manor.

**_-Flashback starts-_**

He stepped out of the floo to find Augusta there with her heir, Neville Longbottom. As he did his courtesy as a gentleman, she led him to the parlor. After refreshments were served, she came straight to the point, "What is the purpose of this visit, Lord Black?"

He smiled at her, "Please call me Arcturus, Lady Longbottom."

She immediately replied, "Then address me as Augusta."

He started telling her how he had removed Harry Potter from his muggle relatives, how they were keeping the boy, his reasons for doing so and what he had taught to him so far. As he finished narrating, she asked him, "What assistance do you require of me? Do you wish to announce it to the Wizarding World and have House Longbottom back you up?"

He shook his head, "The time is not right for it. I had a different proposition altogether."

She adopted a calm demeanor, "Please do go on, I am listening."

He started again, "as you know Harry Potter is living a very lonely life in the Black castle where he has no one of his age to play with him. I am an old man, approaching the dusk of his life but he needs people in his life who will remain his life-long friends. He cannot live his entire life in seclusion. I propose that for a fortnight during a year, you foster him here in the Longbottom Manor where he will grow up with little Neville while for a fortnight Neville will live at the Black Castle with him. This will lead to them being friends and each will have someone they can depend upon. Besides you know the alliance of Potter and Longbottom and the saying which goes as "Wherever a Potter goes a Longbottom will follow."

She agreed, "This will do some good for Neville who has no friends to call his own. I have been rather heavy handed with him all these years raising him sternly but he needs to be a child every now and then. I agree to your proposal Lord Black provided you let Harry Potter visit more. I would like to see him more during the year and may be able to teach a thing or two about the Potters to him."

Arcturus had readily agreed to the proposal.

**_-Flashback ends-_**

Since then Harry had visited Neville twice for a week each time. Neville had come over for a week and the two boys had taken a shine to each other, becoming fast friends at once.

**Black Castle, 1990**

In the last three years, Hadrian Potter-Black had grown into a fine young boy. He had started reading the theory of magic and for the last year, Arcturus had taken him out of the muggle primary and started teaching him about magic. Remus taught him about the theory of each subject for the first six months until the boy had enough and had asked for a wand. While it was illegal to buy a wand for a child below 11 years of age and no wand maker would sell a wand to them anyhow, Arcturus's talent had come in handy. He had learned wand crafting in his younger days but never used his talents until he needed to. The boy had chosen a wand of Blackthorn wood with Dragon heartstring and Unicorn tail hair. The wand was a work of wonder and he was learning quickly. He had learned enough of transfiguration, defense and charms to last up to 3rd year and theories about Runes beyond which Remus refused to teach him yet saying he would have a lot of time to learn it. He also taught the boy a lot of pranks and told of the stories where the Marauders pranked the hell out of everyone in Hogwarts.

Arcturus had engaged a potion master (under oath of course) to teach him the basics of potion making after the boy had shown interest in the field.

Neville had become a brother to him in all the years that they had been friends and everything he did was shared with Neville. Longbottom was very supportive of him and was often ready to fight anyone who showed hostile intentions towards Harry. He had also learned much of what Harry was learning but had problems with his wand. When he had inquired, he learned that Augusta planned on giving him his father's wand and it had flabbergasted Arcturus. He had sent a book on wandlore to her telling her that her grandson would not receive perfect results with a wand that did not choose him. Dowager Lady Longbottom had vowed to buy him a new wand when he went to school.

Remus often described the castle to the boy and Harry was curious about it. He would ask Remus about its location, the number of rooms in the school and every hidden passageway.

One day when he had pestered Remus enough, the werewolf told him that there were so many hidden passages at school that no one could know all of them.

Harry whined, "Moony, why are there no maps of the castle?"

Remus smirked, "There are no official maps, cub but Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs had crafted a map of the castle which contained a detailed outlay of the school and it also showed everyone's position on it."

Harry asked with wide-eyed wonder, "Where is it? Can I have it?"

Remus mock-sighed, "Filch confiscated it in our sixth year and then we lost track of it. I believe he may still have it."

Then Harry asked, "Could you make another one?"

Remus sighed, "I'm sorry, Cub, I don't think so. It was mostly Sirius and James who did the work and I'm not sure how they did it. My only contribution was to sit in the library and search for the charms that they had used."

Harry said, "Then I will find the original. Will a summoning charm work on it?"

Remus had to think about that one for a minute before he answered, "It just might. I don't remember them putting any charms on the map to prevent it. However, I am afraid you would have to find out for yourself."

Then Harry asked, "However how does the map work?"

Remus had told him the phrase for opening and closing the map. Remus had also asked him to enquire after the Invisibility Cloak which had not been recovered from the cottage and was a Potter family heirloom.

Remus had also brought him a camera and taught him to click photographs and showed him how to use specific potions to develop pictures that moved. For a month, Harry Potter was not found without his camera and he had created hundreds of photos of everyone in the house.

Kreacher had come to the Black Castle in 1987 bearing the news of the death of Wulburga Black. True to his promise, he had not interred her in the family crypts and her crypt was forgotten. A portrait which had been commissioned a decade ago was destroyed by him. Kreacher was kept at the Black Castle serving Harry. After some initial problems things were good between the two of them with Kreacher enthusiastically serving him as "Master Harry."

Two years ago, Arcturus had received a letter from Lord Greengrass, one of the friends of the Family. He had inquired after Arcturus's health and wished to have an alliance with House Black. Arcturus knew that Lord Greengrass never sought alliance with someone unless they could make some profit out of it. The Black's had some extensive properties which had greenhouses on them and House Greengrass owned a potion making business. He wanted to obtain potion ingredients at lesser costs, plain and simple. But it served a major purpose for him. He had welcomed him to the Black Castle with his family and introduced them to Harry as Hadrian Potter-Black. Cyrus was astonished to find Harry Potter here but had agreed to not disclose it to anyone under oath.

Harry had become friends with the Greengrass daughters- Daphne and Astoria. Often Neville and the Greengrass daughters got together at the Black Castle or at Longbottom Manor and they bonded as friends.

Arcturus had told him about Voldemort and his mission of blood purity which was nothing but a sham and a means for his dominance in the wizarding world. While he emphasized the importance of the customs and traditions of the wizarding world, he told him that it did not matter whether one was pure-blood, half-blood or muggle born. What mattered was the power. Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in Britain was a half-blood after all.

He also told him that Voldemort had not died and told of his suspicions about the same. There was one question which had hounded him for years and he had not found an answer to it. That question being, why did Voldemort personally come after the Potters? Why had they gone into hiding? Coincidentally Neville's parents too had done the same but both of the sets of parents had either died or were incapacitated. He had to find the answer to that question.

Remus had shared the Marauder's animagus research with the child and had told him that after his first year, he would start teaching him to be one. After all, it was taught in third year at Hogwarts therefore it was reasonable that Harry could become one.

He had also taught the boy the ways of Slytherin- cunning, ambition and resourcefulness while Remus taught him Bravery, Chivalry and leadership. They were not making a weapon of him but teaching him what he would have been taught either way.

Harry had once asked Arcturus, "Grand-uncle, would you like it if I am in Slytherin?"

Arcturus frowned, "Why would you be in Slytherin, lad?"

Harry innocently replied, "Because that's where you were sorted into."

Arcturus replied, "You can be sorted into Slytherin as well but remember this lad that it will not win you any allies. Most of the school despises Slytherin house and you need people around you who will be able to help you. I would rather that you go to Gryffindor and act like a Slytherin."

Harry had said nothing but grinned at the thought.

His spell training also had been coming along beautifully and Remus had at times taken him to see Dueling tournaments so that he would know what it was like. When they had returned, he had used the Pensieve in his office to see the memories of all the tournaments and pestered Remus to tell him about the spells he had seen flying.

He used to spend an insane amount of time in the Black Library reading spell books learning new spells, hexes and jinxes. While he could not practice them yet, he was sure itching to. Arcturus was sure that as soon as he was off to Hogwarts, he would start learning those spells. He had also engaged a duel master (under Oath) to teach dueling to Harry, something that he felt every Pureblood Lord should do for his heir.

Another thing that the boy loved was flying. When he was six, Arcturus had ordered a Comet 260 for him and since then Harry Potter spent as much time in the air as he did on the ground. He had been to some weekend games with Remus (under Glamours) and saw professional Quidditch players in action and whenever he came home, he would try to imitate their movements. Harry was fantastic on a broom and often scared him with his stunts.

He also liked to ride the animals that were in the castle. His elves had taught him about Hippogriff riding, horse riding and to tend and care for the animals.

He had also taught him Occlumency and Legilimency since they were useful arts and a must for the heirs of Houses. It had been incredibly hard but at last, the boy had been able to construct some serious mental defences. A further six months had passed before he learned to keep them up at all times and to detect an intrusion.

In the last 8 years, they had taught Harry Potter everything that they could and now the time was coming for him to go out in the world and show his talents. Arcturus also had to commit the secret of Horcruxes to someone else who would be able to look for them and help the lad fulfil his destiny because he felt it in his bones that he had not much time left before he was reunited with Melania, Charlus and Dorea. His only regret was that he had not been able to help Sirius anyway despite knowing that he was innocent of betraying his friends. The Wizengamot asked for proof after all and he still did not know what had transpired on that night with Peter Pettigrew.

**July, 1991, Hogwarts**

Albus and Minerva were looking at the enchanted quill writing names inviting students for admittance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The quill halted as it came to Harry's name and after a second began to write,

**Hadrian Potter- Black**

**Chateau de Black**

**France**

Albus watched in horror as the letter was sealed in an envelope and was dispatched. If the boy was being raised by the House of Black, they might have turned him to the Dark. He was being kept out of Wizarding Britain and this explained why they were never able to find him. Albus knew that going to Chateau de Black and asking for custody of Harry Potter would be a bad idea because whoever was alive in the House of Black would hate him with a passion.

He decided to see if Harry Potter would accept the invitation and attend Hogwarts or go to study somewhere else altogether, Durmstrang for instance.

**France**

Arcturus had come to live in the Chateau de Black in France a few months ago after he had heard of Cassiopeia's passing. Her death had been the hardest on him since he felt that she had been the most sensible of his siblings. She knew that she would be married off as a trophy wife to some pureblood and therefore had not married and lived life as she desired. He also did not want anyone else to know that he was living in the Black Castle which they would know after Harry's admittance letter was sent.

He had also informally declared Harry as his heir a month ago and promised him that they would fetch his heir rings when they went to Gringotts on his eleventh birthday. He remembered the Goblin's request but had chosen to leave his investment as heir till his eleventh birthday since it would give them sufficient time to make him ready for anything that may come and they could avoid any unsavoury person from finding them.

Just then Harry came running into the room clutching a red letter in his hands bearing the Hogwarts crest and jumping on the balls of his feet, "Grand-uncle, my letter has come!"

He chuckled and had to tell the boy to behave before he settled down. In the past years, he had tried to get the boy to call him Grand-father or Lord Black but he always called him grand-uncle. As the boy was still excited, he had to admonish him a little, "Control yourself, Harry. As we had decided, you will get to go to Hogwarts if you can write the letter in response by yourself without asking help from me and Moony."

Harry had immediately sat down to write the letter.

_"Dear Professor McGonagall,_

_Greetings to you. I hope that this letter finds you in good health. I am writing this letter in response to your letter offering me admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_I will take the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross on 1st September with the other students._

_Hadrian Potter-Black_

_Heir to House of Potter and House of Black"_

Arcturus read the letter once and dried the ink. Harry sealed the parchment with the seal of House Potter (Goblins had sent the signet) and whistled. A falcon flew into the room and Harry grinned, "Zeus, up for a long flight?"

The bird cocked its head as if saying yes and Harry attached the letter to its talons and the falcon took off. Arcturus sighed. He had done what he could to make the boy ready and hoped that nothing bad would come of it for anyone.

**31st July 1991**

Remus woke Harry early and sent him to bathe while Kreacher laid out his clothes for him. A black shirt with black trousers, a Gryffindor red robe made of Acromantula silk with a cloak of the same material and dragon hide boots.

As Harry returned to his room, he found a little pile of gifts on his bed and tore through the packing eagerly. Arcturus had given him an Auror grade Wand-holster something that he wanted but never asked, along with a wand- kit. Remus had given him a set of books about practical defense. Daphne and Astoria had sent him a silver bracelet with an emerald stone embedded in it while Neville had sent him a book on plants. They had planted a Green House in Longbottom manor and both worked there with equal interest though Neville was undoubtedly better than him at Herbology. He had sent Neville's gift to him a week ago. It was a rare plant that the Longbottom greenhouses lacked.

After he was dressed up, he was trying to flatten his hair down when Remus came into the room, "you are fighting a losing battle there, cub. This is Potter hair which can never settle down. The only thing that seems to work on this is the Sleak-easy potion which was invented by Lord Potter."

He produced a bottle of the said potion and liberally applied it to his hair and it was tamed down a bit so that he would not look like a manner less wizard. Then Remus started to apply glamour charms on him. He lengthened his hair turning it to brown, changed his eye colour to steel gray, and raised his cheek bones.

When Harry entered the Lord's study, he found that Arcturus was likewise under Glamour charms. Remus and Harry accompanied the older wizard to the fire-place where Arcturus threw in a pinch of floo powder into the grate and called, "#12, Grimmauld Place."

Harry and Remus followed suit. Soon they appeared in the Black Townhouse where Harry was assigned a room upstairs. The House was too dark for his taste and gave him a sense of foreboding. Lipsy, Mipsy and Tipsy had been there for a week now cleaning the place and making it fit for use.

Harry turned to Arcturus, "Grand-uncle, I do not like the decorations of the house. It is too dark and looks like a house of Dark Wizards."

Arcturus frowned, "You know, I think the House needs remodeling now. Worry not lad, I will call in people to redo the whole house. For now we will make do with what we have."

After they had been served a hefty lunch by the elves, they flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. Since they were all under Glamour charms, nobody could identify them.

They walked up to the bank while Harry was looking in all directions trying to take in all that was happening around them. The lad had been stopping at every step to look at every window display, to take in everything that was there to see. He was also intrigued when he had stopped and read the warning that was written outside the bank where two goblins stood as sentry. They approached a teller Arcturus respectfully said to a teller goblin, "I am here to see Iron Tooth, manager of House Black."

The goblin who still had not looked up from his ledger, sneered, "Iron Tooth is not an ordinary goblin, wizard. He does not meet everyone who walks through that door."

Arcturus pulled out a knife from his robes and buried it hilt deep into the desk of the teller and snarled, "If you can recognize the crest on the knife, you will take us to Iron Tooth or I will ensure that your head rolls for this."

The goblin looked at the knife and gasped. He immediately jumped down from his table and stuttered, "Of... Of course Lord Black. I will fetch him for you."

As the goblin ran to fetch Iron Tooth, Arcturus wrenched his dagger free of the table and waited. A minute or so passed and Iron Tooth came running and bowed to Arcturus, "Lord Black, King Ragnok had instructed us to take you directly to him when you come to the Bank."

Arcturus replied, "Then let us not tarry, Iron Tooth. As it happens, I have a lot to talk to him about."

They followed the goblin to Ragnok and were given seats while refreshment was called for. After they all had made themselves comfortable, Ragnok opened the conversation, "Lord Black it has been a while since you came here. We expected Harry Potter here at the age of eight to become the heir of the House of Potter but you explained in a letter that he would not be coming to us before his eleventh birthday and for good reasons. Now that you are here, let us give him his parent's will, his heir rings and take care of any other matters that you may be worried about."

Arcturus nodded, "Let's begin then."

Ragnok produced a parchment and a red quill then gave them to Harry, "Mr. Potter, please write your name on this parchment with this quill."

Harry of course knew what a blood quill was. It had been part of his instruction and he had not liked it a bit but Arcturus had explained why it was important. He wrote the name on the parchment and words began to appear. Ragnok looked at the results and then handed them to Arcturus.

The parchment did not contain anything out of the ordinary.

**_Hadrian Potter Black_**

**_Father's name-_**_ James Charlus Potter_

_Father- Charlus Henry Potter_

_Mother- Dorea Potter nee Black_

**_Mother's name-_**_ Lily Potter nee Evans_

_Father- Harrison Evans_

_Mother- Margaret Evans_

_Heir apparent to- House of Potter, House of Black_

Ragnok pushed a button on his desk and a goblin entered. He barked orders at him and while they waited, Arcturus turned to Ragnok, "Ragnok, if it is all the same to you perhaps we can deal with other matters in the meanwhile?"

The goblin nodded, "As you say, Lord Black. The next thing on the agenda is to appoint a manager for House Potter."

Arcturus had given it some thought and made a decision while conferring with Harry. He turned to Ragnok, "House Potter would appoint like to appoint Iron Tooth as Account Manager for House Potter because Harry is heir to both the houses and as such, he will become the lord in the future. It will be convenient for him and for Gringotts."

Ragnok nodded, "It will be done Lord Black." He turned to Iron Tooth and gave some orders and the goblin left. Sometime later, the goblin who had been sent to fetch the will returned and presented it to Ragnok who gave it to Harry. With trembling hands, Harry started to read:

_We, Lord James Charlus Potter and Lady Lily Potter do hereby declare this to be our last bequest made in good faith and in sound health and fit state of mind. Any other bequest which exists at this point of time is null and void._

_To Sirius Orion Black, we leave a million Galleons and our son Hadrian Potter with the hope that he will be a good god-father to him who will teach him to be a better man and great wizard. Padfoot, you fought with us tooth and nail for this honour over Moony and Wormtail and now it is upon you to make him a better person. _

_To Remus Lyall Lupin, we leave five hundred thousand Galleons and the country estate in Sheffield with the hopes that you will do your duty as an uncle to Hadrian in case Padfoot only tries to teach him to be a prankster. Moony, please find a witch who would love you ignoring your furry little problem and start a family with her so Harry will have someone his age to play with. We would have given you more but we know your dignity would not allow you to accept it._

_To Peter Almeidus Pettigrew, we leave two hundred thousand Galleons to help you start the business you always wanted and to help you achieve your dream of travelling around the world. However if you have betrayed us Wormtail, we hope that you will die paying for your crimes._

_To Frank Jeremy Longbottom and Alice Longbottom, we leave five hundred thousand Galleons with the hope that you will look after Harry as you would look after your own son, Neville who is our godson. _

_To Neville Frank Longbottom, we leave two hundred thousand Galleons in the hopes that you will grow up to be a fine young man and make your parents proud. We are sorry that we could not be around to see you grow up._

_Through this testament, we also establish a trust with corpus fund of five hundred thousand Galleons to help pay for those students who cannot afford school supplies. This fund shall be held in trust by Lord Ragnok of Gringotts and the money will be invested by him as he sees fit while he finances the education of those students who cannot afford their education easily._

_The rest of our wealth will go to our son, Hadrian Potter. Harry, we wanted to be there for you but the war and threat of Voldemort is hanging over our heads like a sword and if we have died, remember that we died doing what was our duty. We hope that you will have a long, happy and fulfilling life ahead._

_We provide a list of persons who shall get the custody of Harry Potter in event of our untimely demise._

_1\. __Alice Longbottom, God Mother to Hadrian James Potter or their legal relatives._

_2\. __Sirius Orion Black, God Father to Hadrian James Potter or their legal relatives._

_3\. __Remus Lupin, friend of the family._

_4\. __Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and God mother to Lord James Charlus Potter._

_James Charlus Potter and Lily Potter _

_Lord and Lady Potter"_

After Harry finished reading the will, he wordlessly handed it to Arcturus and turned to Ragnok, "Since Sirius Black is incarcerated and Peter Pettigrew is supposedly dead, does it mean that those provisions of the bequest will not be enforced?"

The Goblin nodded, "You are right, Mr. Potter. Would you like for the other provisions of the will to be put into effect immediately?"

Harry nodded, "Yes please."

Arcturus who had been sitting strangely quiet, started speaking excitedly, "This will proves that Sirius is innocent."

Harry excitedly said, "Then let us take this to the ministry and ask them to release him."

Arcturus sighed, "Alas! This will does not state that Peter was their secret keeper and we also do not know about the events of that night when Sirius allegedly killed him and 12 muggles. We will need something more than this to ensure that he is exonerated."

Just then Iron Tooth entered the room and placed an ornate wooden box on the table. It was made of cedar and contained two rings. One had the Potter Crest while the other had the Black crest.

Ragnok handed the rings to Harry telling him, "Place the Potter ring first and then the Black ring. If the House Magic accepts you, you will know it."

Harry wore the rings one by one. While the Potter ring fit his finger almost instantly the Black ring scanned him for quite some time before it fit in his finger and melded with the Potter ring.

Ragnok congratulated him, "Congratulations Mr. Potter. I apologize that I cannot give you access to your family vaults until you reach the age of majority and ascend as Lord Potter. Until then, you have access to your trust vault. It will give you access up to five hundred thousand Galleons per year, refilling from your family vaults annually. We will send your quarterly statement to you via owl."

Arcturus obtained a pouch from Iron Tooth which he gave to Harry. It was connected to Harry's trust vault and it would never be empty so long as he still had funds there. Their business done, they left the bank.

As they were approaching Madam Malkin's, Harry asked something which had just come into his mind, "Grand-uncle, you have told me several times that I am very famus. Why is it that I have never received a letter from anyone in the wizarding world?"

Remus snorted while Arcturus smirked, "When you were brought to Black Castle, we discovered that you had mail wards on you meaning no one could have sent you letters at the Muggle's home. I think Dumbledore placed the ward on you so that hundreds of owls would not be seen flying around a muggle house and attract unnecessary attention. As you came to Black Castle, we called in a curse breaker to determine that there were no wards upon you which would harm you. He found that you had a mail ward on your person and another ward tied to you which would keep the caster informed about your well-being. We had him break the mail ward and as you know there are some heavy mail wards around Black Castle and every letter which was sent to you was redirected to a chamber where they still lie to this day. Many were from witches and wizards congratulating you for a feat you would not remember doing while a lot were from witches of your age who perhaps had taken a fancy to the boy-who-lived. You can read them at your leisure when you return to Black Castle at the end of your first year."

Harry blushed but kept his expression carefully neutral.

Arcturus sent him to Madam Malkin's with Remus while he went off to buy something. What that something was, he was keeping to himself. The witch in the shop ushered him in, "Hogwarts dear? Go to the back and have your measurements taken. Another boy is being fitted there."

Harry entered the back of the shop and stood on a stool while a measuring tape was taking his measurements. The other boy had platinum blond hair, a long face, and steel gray eyes. Harry felt like there was something familiar about the other boy but Harry could not place it.

The other boy asked him, "Are you going to Hogwarts too?"

Harry nodded, "Yes."

The boy said, "Do you know which house you will be in? I bet I will be in Slytherin."

Harry shrugged, "We won't know that before we get there, will we?"

The other boy who could not take the hint that Harry was not willing to talk, said again, "My parents are next door, looking for books. I think I will bully them into buying me a broom and then smuggle it into school. What is your favorite Quidditch team?"

Harry replied, "I have none."

The other boy asked, "Where are your parents?"

Harry replied off-handedly, "They are dead."

The other boy asked again, "But they were like us, right? Magicals?"

Before Harry could think of an answer, the witch told Harry that his measurements were done and he was thankful for the escape.

He had not wanted to come to Madam Malkin's in the first place because he had wardrobes over-flowing with clothes both, wizarding wear and muggle but Arcturus had insisted that since he had no dress robes, he would have to buy some. They left after an hour with 5 school robes and other required items.

The next stop was the trunk shop. Arcturus had many sophisticated trunks in the castle but he wanted Harry to have something simple. They chose a two compartment trunk- one a library and other a wardrobe. They also selected to couple it with a feather-light charm, a locomotor charm and shrinking runes.

While the trunk was being made ready, they had a big ice-cream from Fortescue's cafe and after that they went to Eeylops Owl Emporium where Arcturus bought him a Snow White beautiful owl which he would later name Hedwig. When he asked why he was being given an owl, Arcturus told him that Falcons were not allowed at the school as they could attack the school owls.

When they reached the Black Town House, Harry found a parcel on the bed waiting for him. There was no name on the packet though except a small piece of parchment which read, "Harry Potter."

He hollered for Remus and the werewolf came running up with Arcturus and he showed the packet to them. Remus cast some detection spells at the packet and nothing dangerous was revealed. Harry opened the packet cautiously and something soft and silky fell out of the packet.

Remus cried, "That is James's invisibility cloak which has been missing all these years. I wonder who had it."

Harry looked through the wrapping and found a letter:

_"This was left with me by your father shortly before he died. I needed this to research some old magics. It is time that it was returned to it's rightful owner. Use it well. Happy Birthday, Hadrian Potter Black."_

Remus looked at the letter and said, "This is Dumbledore's handwriting. I wonder why he needed this cloak when he can be invisible without using the cloak."

Arcturus said nothing but mentally smirked. He knew of the legend of the cloak, having being told about it by Charlus Potter. He resolved to make sure that Harry Potter learned about his heritage.

**1st September 1991**

Finally the day was here when Hadrian Potter Black was to embark on the next phase of Arcturus's plan. Arcturus had talked about his plans with Harry at length and Harry had agreed with them. They had decided that together they would win the wizarding world to their side so that if Voldemort arose during his lifetime, he would not have much ground to stand on.

In the last month, Harry had visited Neville or Daphne almost daily. Since they were all in London, they got together for a study session or swimming or a day in the Longbottom greenhouse and Arcturus was hopeful that he had got friends who would stand through the thick and thin with him. There was nothing more that he could do except watch while Hadrian Potter – Black conquered the wizarding world inch by inch.

Sometimes they went out to Diagon Alley with Harry under glamour charms and visited the shops and have fun in general. They all had decided to meet at Platform 9 ¾ King's Cross, London. Harry flooed to the platform at 10:00 A.m. with Remus who had applied some glamours(they were keeping his involvement secret) and Lord Black who had returned almost instantly after seeing him through the floo. He took a seat at the end of the train in a compartment which was empty and waited for the others. Daphne flooed in after sometime and hugged him before going to find her other friend- Tracy Davis. They had decided not to take the first ride together as it was necessary for their plans. Neville arrived sometime later with his grand-mother who embraced Harry like a grandson before she flooed back to Longbottom Manor.

10 minutes before the train started, a family of red-heads entered the platform through the barrier. Neville pointed them out to Harry, "They are the Weasleys. They are a good family but are generally looked down upon because of their scorn of pure-bloods. They had a seat on the Wizengamot but were ousted from it due to some under-handed deal involving Lord Malfoy about 70 years ago."

Harry nodded, "Grand-uncle told me about it. They are also related to me through Great Aunt Cedrella Weasley nee Black."

The train started after sometime and they were exchanging chocolate frogs with each other when a red headed boy opened the door, "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Harry cordially invited him in, "Sure, come in."

The boy introduced himself, "I am Ronald Weasley."

Harry replied, "This is Neville Longbottom and I am Hadrian Jameson." He didn't want it to be known that he was attending Hogwarts before the sorting. There would be time enough for gawkers to gawk at him.

They were making small talk with each other for some time when Ron brought his pet into the conversation, "This is Scabbers, my rat."

Scabbers it turned out had an appetite to rival his master. He ate his share of everything that Ronaldate. The rat was running across the length of the compartment and climbing up and down making them laugh.

Harry remembered his camera which he had packed in his trunk and brought it out and started clicking some pictures of the three boys including the rat. He decided to develop them at the end of the week and send them to Remus to start an album of Harry's school days.

The lunch trolley came by and even though the boys were full, they bought something of everything. Ron who had brought sandwiches was invited to partake in their purchases which he did happily.

After a few hours, the boy he had met at Madam Malkin's came into their compartment with two others looking for something to eat and bullying people in general.

He said to the compartment in general, "Look boys, these fine people have so much left to eat still. We will take their food."

Neville glared at him, "No one invited you in here."

The boy said, "Still we are not leaving. We are done with our food and you have lots left."

Harry was getting tired of the bully. He told him flatly, "You are getting tiresome. Go now or I will make you go."

One of the boys reached for their food pile and came up with Scabbers who bit his finger. With that, they decided it was time for them to leave.

Hearing the commotion, a buck-toothed, bushy haired girl entered their compartment, "Were you all fighting? You are going to lose points before you reach the school."

Ron replied, "No, we were not fighting but Scabbers was. Who are you by the way?"

The girl replied, "I am Hermione Granger, muggle-born. Who are you all?"

Harry answered, "This is Ronald Weasley, this is Neville Longbottom and I am Hadrian Jameson."

Hermione asked again, "Have you people studied ahead for the classes? I bet I am far behind many of the students. I have read all my course books though and have learned them by heart."

She was speaking so fast that it was hard to make her words out so Harry just shook his head in denial. Telling them to get ready, she left them in their compartment.

Ronald sighed, "I just hope she doesn't wind up in the same house as me."

Talks then turned towards sorting with everyone guessing how sorting was done at the school. While Harry knew how it was done, he decided not to mention it to Ron to ruin his surprise. He would find out for himself soon enough.

Harry said nothing but pulled a book out and started reading while Neville did the same. It had become a habit for them to read if there was nothing more to do. They had talked about their families at length during the last few hours (mostly Ron did) and had eaten together. There was nothing more to do for them.

Soon the announcement was being made for them to leave their luggage on the train from where it would be taken to Hogwarts. The boys changed into their robes.

When they got off the train, they heard a loud booming voice calling, "First yers! First yers! Ove here!" A giant (by their standards anyway) with a lantern in his hand, bushy beard, beetle black eyes and dense beard was collecting the first years together. As they were all with him, he started taking them to the edge of the lake where he assigned them to boats, "no more than 4 to each boat."

Harry climbed into a boat with Neville, the girl from the train and Ronald. Daphne deliberately chose another boat but they shared a look which meant things were going well with them.

As the boats sped forward they came into the first view of the castle. Harry had to remember to breathe as he took in the sight of the castle with its towering turrets and light shining from its sparkling windows. The place looked formidable, beautiful and enduring. No verbal description of the place from Remus prepared him for the actual sight. Harry remembered his camera and holding it as steady as he could, took some pictures while he could still get the whole building into frame.

Hagrid led them to a side door in the castle where he banged on large double doors three times. The doors were opened by a stern looking witch, her hair tied into a bun on her head, her lips firmly pursed into a thin line and her expressions foreboding. Harry had the impression that it was a teacher one should not cross.

"First yers, Professor McGonagall.", said Hagrid, consigning the group to the stern looking witch. He then headed off through another door.

She took them to a chamber and started addressing them, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term feast will begin shortly. Before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Harry did not understand what he could do to smarten himself up except try to tame his hair. But he knew that was a losing battle. Every Potter male was cursed with the same hair. As they were waiting some students jumped in fright as pearly white ghosts drifted out of a wall talking among themselves and arguing what to do about Peeves. One of them noticed the students and asked them what they were doing while others guessed that they were waiting to be sorted.

McGonagall led them into the Great Hall and Harry was amazed at the size of the hall. While he had lived in a castle for the last 9 years, the Great Hall was twice the size of the hall at Black Castle and looked more magnificent with the ceiling charmed to look like the sky outside. She took them all near the staff table while Hermione kept reciting facts about the school from "Hogwarts: A History' like how the ceiling had been charmed. After Professor McGonagall told them how they were to be sorted and started calling out names, he waited while he watched others getting sorted. He was casting a keen eye over the other students to sight some potential allies among his year mates. While some were sorted almost immediately, the hat deliberated over others. Harry hoped that none of them would become "hatstall", one who could not be sorted even after the Hat had deliberated over them for 5 minutes. He was so lost in his musings that he missed the whole song of the Sorting Hat.

Abbott Hannah was the first to be sorted and went into Hufflepuff, followed by Bones Susan who also went to Hufflepuff. Terry Boot became the first Ravenclaw followed by Mandy Brocklehurst who followed Boot into Ravenclaw. Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor almost immediately followed by a big looking girl named Milicent Bulstrode who was sorted into Slytherin followed by a trollish looking boy called Vincent Crabbe who was sorted into Slytherin. Michael Corner again was sorted into Ravenclaw followed by Stephen Cornfoot and Tracy Davis became Slytherin with Fay Dunbar being sorted into Gryffindor, then came Kevin Entwhile and Justin Finch Fletchley who both were sorted into Hufflepuff. Seamus Finnigan going to Gryffindor and Anthony Goldstein went to Ravenclaw.

Finally it was Hermione's turn and she eagerly put the hat on her head and it started speaking in her head, "What do we have here? Oh you have a well organized mind here. You have a thirst for knowledge but you are also brave and do not hesitate to take a stand. Ravenclaw would be good for you and so would Gryffindor, so, where to send you?"

Hermione spoke, "Can you send me to Gryffindor? It will be good there for me."

The hat agreed, "Ravenclaw would be fit for you equally but you are inclined to Gryffindor more. So you are going to GRYFFINDOR."

The hat said the words to the Great Hall and the table with the red and gold banner burst into applause while Ron groaned. Professor McGonagall called the next name "Daphne Greengrass' and Harry attentively watched the sorting.

As Daphne put the hat on her head, the hat spoke, "You have thirst of knowledge and the ambition of Slytherin. I know of just the place to sort you. SLYTHERIN."

She happily walked to the Green and Silver bannered table. Gregory Goyle soon followed suit into Slytherin while Wayne Hopkins and Megan Jones went to Hufflepuff. Sue Li was sorted into Ravenclaw and then it was Neville's turn. Neville shuffled nervously towards the stool and put the hat on his head. The hat said, "Oh I see. You have lived under the shadow of your parents' fame. I can see you are hard-working and loyal, the traits of Hufflepuff but there is an underlying sense of bravery and chivalry. You will do well in "GRYFFINDOR."

Harry noticed that Hermione and Neville both came close to hatstall but had been sorted before the 5 minute mark. When McGonagall called "Draco Malfoy' the boy from the train walked up to the stool and as soon as the hat had touched his head, the hat called out "Slytherin." Smirking in pleasure, he strode to the table with the Green and Silver banner.

Isobel McDougall was sorted into Ravenclaw while Ernie McMillan was sent into Hufflepuff. Lilith Moon, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson were sorted into Slytherin and then the Patil twins were called who were sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively. Sally Anne Perks was sent into Hufflepuff and Harry was feeling the jitters knowing he was next. This was the moment that would determine whether their preparations had been enough.

McGonagall called "Hadrian Potter-Black" and there was complete silence in the Great Hall. While people did not know him by Hadrian yet everyone knew he was the last Potter and so everyone was gawking at him as the hat sat on his head. The hat examined his mind for some moments and then said, "I must say I am surprised Mr. Potter-Black. You have a well organized mind with some serious mental shields. I can see cunning, resourcefulness and ambition in you which are all the traits of Slytherin and no doubt you will learn to be great in Slytherin. There are also underlying qualities of Bravery, Chivalry and courage in you which makes you worthy of Gryffindor. What do you say, Mr. Potter?"

Harry replied, "I would rather be in Gryffindor than Slytherin. No true Slytherin would be sorted there if he could derive an advantage by being in another house."

The hat guffawed, "That is a good point however logic does not work here. I still think you would do well in Slytherin."

Harry frantically said, "No I refuse to go to Slytherin."

The Hat finally gave in, "Ok, if that is your wish, GRYFFINDOR."

The table with red and gold banners erupted in cheers while the Weasley twins were standing and chanting, "We got Potter, We got Potter."

Harry strode to the table and sat with Neville and the twins who thumped him on the shoulder. Oliver Rivers was sent to Ravenclaw, Ellia Runcorn was sent to Gryffindor, Sally Smith and Zacharias Smith were sent to Hufflepuff, Dean Thomas joined Gryffindor while Lisa Turpin was sent to Ravenclaw. Ronald was sorted to Gryffindor and Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin.

After that Dumbledore stood up and said, "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we start our banquet, I would like to say a few words, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!, Thank you."

Everybody clapped and cheered while Harry did not know whether to laugh or not. He turned to Percy Weasley who was sitting near him, "Is he mad?"

Percy said, "No. He is a genius though a bit mad." "Potato, Hadrian?", he asked and Harry found that the feast had started and the tables were filled with food of all varieties. Since he was feeling hungry, the food trolley on the train had been a long time ago, he tucked in while Ron was glaring at him.

After he was done eating, he turned to Ron, "What is the problem, Ron? Did you not enjoy your food?"

Ron said snarkily, "Why didn't you tell me that you are Harry Potter?"

Harry frowned, "How does that make any difference? And my name is Hadrian Potter-Black. Please remember it."

Hermione who was seated near them said to him enthusiastically, "I have read all the books about you. You are mentioned in the Rise and fall of the Dark Arts and Important Wizarding Events of the 20th Century."

Harry snorted, "Whatever is written there is false, Miss Granger."

She looked shocked, "What do you mean? Books do not lie."

Harry told her calmly, "It is speculation at best. I have been hidden away from the magical world for the last ten years. As far as Wizarding Britain is concerned, living under a rock (Neville snorted) and no one save a handful of people knew my whereabouts. There is no one alive to this day who knows about the events that transpired that night except me and I was too small to even hold a wand, how would I remember what had happened?"

Hermione opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. He had a point and she could not reply to it. Harry further continued, "The children's story books about me are also fiction because I can attest that I have never seen a Nundu in my life, never mind petting one. I do not live in a far off castle surrounded by scores of friends or know of any secret magics."

Just then, a ghost rose from the table and introduced himself as Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower.

Ron piped up and Said, "I know who you are. You're Nearly Headless Nick! Fred and George told me about you."

The ghost scowled, 'If you want to address me, call me Sir Nicholas.'

When Hermione asked him how he gained that name, he showed them how his neck was just hanging by sinews.

After that the talk turned towards other students who were telling of their family history, ancestry etc. Harry watched around the great hall while he tried to take in everything he saw and heard.

He looked at the staff table and found a hook-nosed, greasy haired person sitting at the staff table talking to a nervous looking man who wore a ridiculously large turban.

He turned to Percy who had been talking to Hermione and answering her questions about studies. She seemed fascinated by Transfiguration but was disheartened to know that they would not be transfiguring furniture into animals for now but small things like match-sticks into needles. He asked Percy who was a prefect, "Percy, who are those two?"

Percy looked where he was pointing and answered, "They are Professor Quirinus Quirrell who teaches Defense against the Dark Arts and Professor Severus Snape who teaches Potions. Snape has always wanted to teach Defense."

Harry was surprised but covered his surprise nicely. He had heard from Lord Black that Severus Snape had been accused of being a death eater and to see him teaching here was discomforting for him.

Snape looked at him sharply just then and their eyes connected for a moment but then Snape looked away.

Dumbledore stood up again, "Now that you all are warm and fed, it is time that I give you all some notices before you are taken to your comfortably warm beds and tucked in to be ready for your lessons beginning tomorrow."

Everyone chuckled for a moment and Dumbledore started speaking again, "The forbidden forest is just that, forbidden. The new students as well as some older students would do better to remember this (he looked at the Twins who were snickering). Mr. Filch, our caretaker has reminded me this morning that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes. The list of restricted objects has been extended and now includes 300 objects. The complete list is posted outside his office to be examined by the students at their leisure. I would take this opportunity to inform all the students that the right wing of the third floor is out of bounds for everyone this year if you do not want to die a horrible painful death."

Harry was among the few who laughed at his words but he was one of few to do so. He asked Percy, "He is not serious. Is he?

Percy said, "He must be serious. I have never seen him joke about these things. But he should have at least told us Prefects the reason for it."

Dumbledore led the school through the recital of the school song and then dismissed them. First year Gryffindors were being led by Percy. When they came to the stairs, there were some sticks floating in the air. When the first years started to pass by, the sticks started shooting towards them.

Percy roared, "Peeves!"

Peeves the poltegrist appeared cackling, "Ickle firsties! So much fun..."

Harry had heard about the Poltergeist from Remus and how the Marauders used to include him in their pranks or sometimes make him the target of their pranks. He would pay them back in kind whenever he got the chance.

Harry stepped forward and said to Peeves, "Peeves, the Marauders send their compliments. They promise that they will return to harass you more."

The Poltergeist almost fell out of the air but was air-borne at the last moment. He drifted away.

Percy said to him appreciatively, "that was very good Hadrian. Nobody has managed to do this to him yet in my memory."

Harry said nothing but was inwardly planning all the mayhem that he would cause at Hogwarts while he appeared the naive and docile guy. The Invisibility cloak had come as a blessing for him at the right moment.

When they reached the portrait hole, Percy gave the password, "_Caput Draconis_" and it swung outwards to allow them entrance. Percy showed them the way to their dorms. He explained the general rules and they retired to their dormitories.

**REVIEWS PLEASE**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Great Hall**

Harry had stayed up late with his new room-mates. Of course, he knew Neville well from the weeks they spent together while growing up. He had met Ron on the train and they seemed to hit it off well, especially when Harry was open about how that git Malfoy and his two goons did not impress him. Dean and Seamus seemed to know each other from their time before Hogwarts. Dean seemed to be a pretty steady guy, but Seamus was entirely too fond of making things explode. It was past midnight before Percy Weasley, Ron's older brother and a new prefect, came and threatened them with all kinds of dire consequences if they didn't settle down and get some sleep. He also reminded them that the first day of class was tomorrow and they did not want to get off on the wrong foot with their teachers by falling asleep in class.

The gawking started the next day at breakfast as Harry had anticipated. They had barely entered the Great Hall when he noticed eyes turning toward him. He was still taking stock of the hot cereal, pan-cakes, waffles, French toast, bacon sausage, juice, scrambled eggs, syrups, marmalade, and more, trying to make up his mind about what to eat, when the first group approached him. They were a delegation from Hufflepuff, lead by a very pretty first year with strawberry blond hair who introduced herself as Susan Bones. Her friend was Hannah Abbott and there were a few other first years with them. Next up was Daphne Greengrass who introduced her friend Tracey and a few other first years from Slytherin. While they were visiting, Harry discreetly slipped her a note to meet him in the library after dinner. She would have to look for a "notice Me Not" charm. Of course, Draco and his squad, Crabb, Goyle and Parkinson did not join the parade. It seemed to Harry that each of the other tables was watching, taking their turn to come and introduce themselves. Some just wanted to say hello. Some offered their friendship while many just wanted a closer look at the boy who lived to see if the reality was anything like the legend. Most of them just came over, said hello and were gone before he could actually respond to those he found interesting.

As breakfast progressed, Harry grabbed mouthfuls of food between visitors. He realized that today was going to be a long day. His mind was reeling with all those people who were introducing themselves to him trying to become his friends. As great-aunt Cassiopeia had taught him, he politely talked with every one, accepted their compliments and said a word or two in return to each one.

He had been surprised with the number of Slytherin students who came over to see him and convey their wishes or regards. If he were a muggle-born he would have thought all of these people were trying to be his friends but being raised by Slytherins, he knew they were all trying to get in his good graces because he was the heir to House Black.

As he sat to breakfast with Neville on one side and Ron on the other, a tawny owl landed in front of him. It had the Daily Prophet in its legs for him. After paying the owl, he unfolded the paper and groaned. The front page was splattered with a bold head line and a smiling photo somebody had been able to obtain without his knowing:

_**"THE BOY-WHO-LIVED: THE SAVIOUR OF THE WIZARDING WORLD ARRIVES AT HOGWARTS**_

_**By- Helena Campbell**_

_**Yesterday, in the sorting of the smallest class yet at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, most of the populace of the wizarding world held their breath while they waited for the sorting of none other than the boy-who-lived Harry James Potter who we are told goes by Hadrian James Potter-Black now. Yes dear reader, the saviour of the wizarding world has been raised by the family of the man who betrayed his parents to you-know-who. (For more on Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter and Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, see P.8)**_

_**While we do not yet know of the conditions of his placement with the House of Black, we had not anticipated that he would be given to the darkest of the families for being raised. Some of the sources claim to have seen him wearing the heir ring of the House of Potter and Black indicating a family merger between the two houses. Gringotts also confirmed that he is the heir of both houses by reason of being the last Potter and the heir of Black as he has been declared so by Lord Arcturus Orion Black who lives a reclusive life on the continent. (For more on Lord Arcturus Orion Black, see P. 6)**_

_**This also raises questions as to his well –being and the choice of Albus Dumbledore who had assured the general wizarding populace that he was being hidden in a place which is safe from any kind of attack. However sources have informed us that he is quite the charming young man who does not hold any bias against anyone.**_

_**In the sorting, it was observed that the hat took its time to sort him. In fact, some of the sources suggest that he avoided being a hat-stall by a matter of a few seconds. The final verdict of the hat was to sort him into Gryffindor where all his family had been sorted through the ages before.**_

_**There have been a lot of rumours about him and a rather popular book-series about the adventures of a fictional character based on him, it has been told that he dismissed everything about him as allegory with no substance to those rumours.**_

_**WE tried to contact Lord Black, Professor Dumbledore and Hadrian Potter-Black but none of them were available for comment.**_

_**We at the Daily Prophet, wish him good luck for his life ahead and hope that he will become a pillar of the community as his family always has been."**_

Harry read the article and grimaced while people whispered around him. Other than that swipe they took at Sirius, the article was fairly accurate. What bothered him was the realisation that he would not be allowed to have a private life. It did look, however, looked like Dumbledore had taken steps to at least keep the press out of the school and Harry was thankful for that small mercy. It would be exceedingly hard to get on with his studies if he had to dodge interviewers and cameras every time he walked the hallways. He was still lost in thought when Hermione Granger joined them, sitting down across from him.

She noticed the frown on his face and asked, "Hadrian, what is the matter?"

It was Neville who answered, "The Daily Prophet got wind of him and his sorting. Perhaps someone in the castle sold the story to them last night for few Galleons".

As breakfast was going on, Zeus landed in the room and held out its claw for Harry. Harry gleefully took the letter while petting the bird. People around him were openly gawking now. They had seen all kinds of owls delivering the post, but a falcon was unique in their experience. The letter was from Moony who wanted to know about his day so far, how he was settling into the castle and everything that he had done or not done.

Harry fed the falcon some bacon and sent him away to the owlery saying that he will have a letter for him when he had time to write it. After classes were over for the day, Harry intended to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening going around the castle, trying to learn all the secret ways and everything that was worth knowing or would help him in pranking. He had notes from Remus about all the secret passages within the castle that the werewolf could remember and Harry was determined to learn them all.

Harry's belly was getting quite full of all the marvelous food as his head was also quite full of the names of all the people who had introduced themselves. The signal that breakfast was over was given when the dishes on the table were all suddenly empty and clean. Harry observed as four of the professors rose from the staff table and proceeded to the house tables. The greasy haired, sallow complexioned, hook nosed wizard all dressed in black went to the Slytherin table. The witch with the fly-away hair, wearing the patched hat went to the Hufflepuff table. The diminutive, energetic wizard trotted over to the Ravenclaw table. The tall, stern looking witch with her hair in a tight bun, was heading his way with a stack of parchments in her hand. With a wave of her wand, the parchments flew out of her left hand and landed, one in front of each student.

When Harry looked down at his, he realized that it was his time-table.

_**"Hadrian James Potter-Black, First Year 1991-1992**_

_**Monday: 9:00 Charms - Charms Classroom, Professor Filius Flitwick with Hufflepuff; 10:30 Herbology – Greenhouses, Professor Pomona Sprout with Hufflepuff; Noon Lunch - Great Hall; 1:30 Double Transfigurations - Transfiguration Classroom Professor Minerva McGonagall with Ravenclaw.**_

_**Tuesday: 9:00 Double Defence Against the Dark Arts - Defence Classroom Professor Quirinus Quirrell with Ravenclaw; Noon Lunch - Great Hall; 1:30 Herbology – Greenhouses Professor Pomona Sprout with Hufflepuff.**_

_**Wednesday: 9:00 Charms - Charms Classroom Professor Filius Flitwick with Hufflepuff; 10:30 Defence Against the Dark Arts - Defence Classroom Professor Quirinus Quirrell with Ravenclaw; Noon Lunch - Great Hall; 1:30 Double History of Magic - History Classroom Professor Cuthbert Binns with Ravenclaw**_

_**9:00 PM Double Astronomy - Top of Astronomy Tower Professor Aurora Sinistra with Hufflepuff**_

_**Thursday: 9:00 Herbology – Greenhouses Professor Pomona Sprout with Hufflepuff; 10:30 Transfigurations - Transfiguration Classroom Professor Minerva McGonagall with Ravenclaw; Noon Lunch - Great Hall 1:30 Charms - Charms Classroom Professor Filius Flitwickwith Hufflepuff; 3:30 Flying - Quidditch Pitch Madam Rolanda Hoochwith Slytherin.**_

_**Friday: 9:00 Double Potions - Potions Dungeon Professor Severus Snape with Slytherin; Noon Lunch - Great Hall; **_

**Charms Classroom **

Thanks to Remus, Harry knew that charms classes took place on the second floor. Finding the Charms classroom did not take him long. Harry's first ever class at Hogwarts was charms attended with the Hufflepuffs. The diminutive charms professor climbed a stack of books to reach his chair and started calling out their names. When he read out Harry's name, he squeaked and toppled off of his chair. The charms professor set them to learn the "Lumos" and "Nox" charm. Harry had scoffed at the idea initially wondering why would this spell need to be taught but one look at the Muggleborn students and he realised why they needed to learn the charm. He had been brought up in a castle where he had been carefully taught and practiced from an early age. But some of these muggle-born did not even know that magic was real until about two months ago at most.

The charms teacher was a cheerful and energetic person who made sure the students understood the theory first and then demonstrated the spell. He asked very few questions of the students. But when they had a question which was rare, he quickly and cheerfully gave short and clear answers.

Harry had already shown his proficiency in Lumos and Nox and now was trying his hand at the petrification hex. He knew how to cast it perfectly and did that while the muggle-born finished learning Lumos and Nox. He had plans to corner the Charms teacher to teach him duelling because he wanted to participate in the World Under-14 duelling championship. The Charms Professor had been a duelling champion for 9 years in a row and there were things that Harry could learn from him.

**The Greenhouses**

Next up was his first lesson in Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. They moved in one great mass from the Charms classroom, down the trick stairs and out the front doors of the castle to the greenhouses.

Waiting outside the Greenhouses to greet them was Professor Sprout. Harry's first impression of her from the welcoming feast the night before was that this witch did not care much for her own appearance. Now that harry saw her up close, He could see that she had a kind face, with fly away hair and a laughing, cheerful yet careful nature. Having already taught one class today, there were visible signs of toil, soil and sweat on her generous and well-muscled frame. Harry guessed that working with plants all day was physically taxing and given what he already knew about magical plants, often dangerous. She was also the Head of House for Hufflepuff. It was rumoured that she gave special lessons to her house in herbology by decorating the Common Room with plants from her lessons.

She escorted them inside of Greenhouse number one. This was where the mostly harmless plants were kept, only slight variants from many plants known by muggles. When they were all gathered around the tables, she started addressing them. "Welcome to Herbology. This subject attracts two types of people; those who love plants and those who wish to be potions masters. A large majority of potions ingredients come from plants both magical and mundane. It would be impossible to do anything original with potions without understanding these plants, knowing their properties, how to care for them and how to harvest them. As for my fellow plant lovers, I just find it relaxing and rewarding to see them healthy, growing and maturing. When a plant is not doing well, I take it as a personal challenge to determine what ails it and cure it. I hope that some of you may feel the same way. My job is to teach you all of these things.

"Before we begin, there are a few things that you should know. First, I do not waste my breath. If I caution you about something that a plant does, it is for your own safety. Please pay attention. Second, always wear your dragon-hide gloves. You will be handling plants which have poisonous barbs, corrosive sap, teeth and more. You will also be handling fertilizer. Need I remind you of wear that comes from? You do not want any of this in contact with your skin or it will be a trip to the hospital wing to visit with Madame Pomfrey. Third, If a plant does attack you, you are permitted to yell, and yes swear if you must, to get our attention and alert the people around you to the danger. Fourth and finally, there will be no time wasting in my class. Our greenhouses are vast and there are always some plants in need of attention. Are there any questions?"

Seamus raised his hand, "Professor, if a plant does attack one of us, what should we do?"

She responded, "Finnigan isn't it? It is best to sound the alarm and get out of the reach of the plant immediately. a plant can be repelled with the Flippendo jinx. If, however, you are not able to disentangle yourself, most animate plants can be stopped, without doing any serious harm to them, with a stunner. If, however the plant cannot be stopped in any other way, you may be forced to destroy it with Incendio. We will spend some of this class making sure that all of you can use those spells."

She taught them about Asphodel its qualities, its uses and other details associated with that plant. She also taught the spells she had mentioned.

During the class, Harry made his acquaintance with Ernie Macmillan whose family had been an ally of the Potters. Ernie pompously promised to introduce him to others who were friends of House Potter. When the class was over, she assigned them a foot of parchment to be turned in the next class about the Stupefy, Incendio and Flipendo jinx and their uses in Herbology with the incantation and wand movements.

**The Great Hall**

By the time Harry had washed up and put on fresh robes, lunch in the Great Hall was well under way. He made a mental note to work more on those household, clean-yourself-up type spells. It occurred to him that they were huge time-savers. Most of the lunch conversation was about the professors and what they had learned that morning. The steady stream of visitors from Breakfast did not repeat itself. Lunch, although he was late, still seemed to stretch out for a long time. This afternoon would be a double transfigurations lesson with his head-of-house.

**Transfigurations Classroom**

For the first transfigurations class, Harry had used a couple of the short-cuts which Moony had told him about to get from the Great Hall to the Transfiguration classroom on the second floor, and he was first to arrive at the class. Some of the more observant Gryffindors were right behind him. This was the first class that they were going to share with Ravenclaw. He was ready to see the work of the house renowned for their cleverness.

When he entered the class, there was a tabby cat sitting on the teacher's desk watching the students enter the room. Having been forewarned by Remus, Harry knew that this was Professor McGonagall in her animagus form, waiting for the right time to surprise her students. Even though Harry had made a vow to himself not to cross her, he felt that one good prank deserved another. He drew his wand and started alternating between Lumos and Nox to flash a point of light near the cat. She sat stiffly for a while, trying to pretend that chasing a point of light was beneath her dignity. But, witch in disguise or not, a cat is a cat and she started chasing the light around the room. After a few more minutes, the Ravenclaws arrived. Harry, not wanting to humiliate the professor in front of the other students, had the cat chase the light right out of the room and doused his wand. A few seconds later, Professor McGonagall entered the room, looking stoic, her mouth in a thin line and glaring at Harry. He had to work hard to suppress a grin because he did not want to land in detention on the very first day of class.

She started the class with an introduction of her subject. "Welcome to Transfiguration. It is one of the most complex and exciting branches of magic. This subject is useful in daily life as well as in combat to any witch or wizard. With transfiguration you can learn to change one thing into another.". When she flourished her wand, her desk changed into a pig then the pig transformed back into a desk to great applause from the students.

Then she continued, "Since this is a core subject, you will be studying with me for a minimum of your first five years while you are here at Hogwarts. You will also learn to conjure things from thin air.". She conjured a flock of singing canaries. "How to animate objects?" She tapped her desk and it did a convincing soft-shoe until she tapped it again to make it stop. "I will also teach you how to transform animals into people, people into animals, objects into animals, animals into objects and one thing into another. I can teach you how to disguise yourself expertly so that your own mother will not be able to recognize you. This subject requires patience, lots of creativity, and careful control. I warn you that loss of control can have disastrous results. So there will be no stupidity in my classes. Anyone who needs to be reminded of that will be given detention post haste".

After she was sure that she had intimidated her students sufficiently to get her point across, she started teaching them the transfiguration alphabet. She told them that there would be a test on it in the next class. Harry understood the use of the transfiguration alphabet of course. As Remus had told him, the alphabets could be used in weaving wards or other such uses.

The class was good and he observed the Ravenclaws in between. For the most part, they seemed to pick things up quickly. They were also quiet and sober.

As the class was letting out, the professor asked Harry to stay behind, "Mr. Potter- Black, please accompany me to the Head-master's study. He wants to have a word with you".

Harry hung his head, "Professor, I'm sorry. I was just having a little fun..."

Making a visible effort to suppress her mirth, she cut in, "I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr. Potter-Black. Come along now".

He dutifully replied, "Of course Professor".

**The Headmaster's Office**

He got up and followed the stern professor out of the classroom and around a corner to stand in front of a huge, ugly gargoyle. Professor McGonagall said, "Lemon drops.", and the gargoyle came to life, leaping to one side while the wall split down the center from floor to ceiling and slid aside to the right and left. When Harry was able to see inside, there was a moving spiral staircase to take him upwards. He quickly stepped on it while Professor McGonagall said, "He is waiting for you, Mr. Potter- Black and welcome to Hogwarts".

Harry ascended the staircase nervously while his heart kept pounding against his rib cage. He of course had anticipated this meeting and thought that he was ready for whatever Dumbledore might say. If he believed Moony, the old Headmaster would not give him any grief, not with his parent's will in his possession.

Harry knocked on the door and with a soft "enter" the door opened inwards.

The office was a circular chamber full of book shelves on one side, laden with ancient tomes. The rest of the walls were covered with moving portraits. Among them, Harry spotted Phineas Nigellus Black, the least popular Headmaster of Hogwarts. The Headmaster was seated behind a big table on a stuffed chintz chair, his long fingers steepled together, his half-moon glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and his electric blue eyes were twinkling merrily. On the other side of the office, there were little spindly legged tables with delicate silver instruments on them, some of which were whirring and puffing. There was a bowl of candies placed in front of the head-master while on the side was a perch where a beautiful phoenix was sleeping. Harry remembered being told by Moony that the Phoenix was called Fawkes and sang beautiful, joyous melodies.

"Welcome Mr. Potter-Black. Please take a seat", the Headmaster said pointing to one of the seats on this side of the table. As Harry sat, the Headmaster pointed to the bowl of sweets, "Would you care for a lemon Drop?"

Harry replied, "I hope I am able to refuse without any offense, Professor".

Dumbledore shrugged but said nothing for a few minutes perhaps thinking of how to start the conversation. Harry took the time to look around, taking in the office and its contents. As he looked more closely at the portraits, he could see that each one bore a name and the dates when they were headmasters of the school. He knew, from his experience at the Black castle, that these portraits could talk and move between portraits in the same building or portraits of themselves in different locations. This was likely a large part of how Dumbledore kept an eye on things in the school and communicated discretely outside of the school when needed. He could only guess at the function of the silver, puffing instruments sitting on their spindly legged tables. Harry thought they might be some highly sensitive detectors, but given the whimsical nature of the Headmaster, they might just be toys.

Dumbledore's voice interrupted Harry's speculations, "Mr. Potter-Black..."

Harry cut him off with a smile and a wave of his hand, "Headmaster, please call me Hadrian or Harry. Mr. Potter-Black sounds like I am in trouble for something".

Dumbledore chuckled, "All right then, 'Harry' it is". He sobered up then, "There are a few things that you should know. On that Halloween night, nearly ten years ago, when your parents were killed", he took a deep breath, "I feared that your life was in immediate danger. Voldemort had vanished, leaving behind his wand and cloak, but he still had many followers who were quite dangerous in their own right. Your mother's last act was to invoke an ancient magic to give you a lasting protection against anyone who intended to harm you. Voldemort could not understand the power of love and underestimated her which led him to be vanquished. The protection which she gave to you flows in your blood which meant you were safest at your aunt and uncle's house because she was your blood. You had no blood relatives left on your father's side to take you in. His best friend turned you over to Hagrid to bring you to me. A week later, he was accused of betraying your parents and sent to Azkaban. I did not know who your god-mother was or anyone else who could take you in. Your parents had another best friend Remus Lupin who was not in the country on that night and he was ineligible for a few more reasons. I was told that your aunt and uncle do not like wizards in general but trusting that your aunt Petunia had some of your mother in her, I was hoping that she would be kind to you and raise you well. I was both saddened and horrified to discover how wrong I was when you disappeared and I investigated their home, trying to determine what had become of you. While I do not deserve it, I hope that with time, you will be able to forgive me for my mistake, understanding the limited choices of an old man". The older wizard's face had shown a myriad of expressions all the while he spoke.

Harry understood that he was being truthful. May be he was remorseful for what he did. The truth was that Harry had been ready to confront Dumbledore, give him an earful for his mistake but the Headmaster had already accepted his mistake. He wondered at how uncanny Remus had been in his prediction of Dumbledore's character. The old Headmaster had acted the way Remus said he would. There were still a few questions which he needed answered. He turned to the Headmaster, "Professor, I have a few questions for you. I hope that you will answer them honestly".

The old Headmaster eagerly nodded, "I would be delighted to answer your questions if I can, my boy".

Harry asked, "my first question is did you know that Sirius Black is my god father? Do you know for certain that Sirius Black was their secret keeper? Are you certain that there was impeccable evidence about his guilt?"

Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose while collecting his thoughts and after a few seconds, he replied, "When you were born, the war was at its peak with people dying or disappearing right and left. Every day families were being wiped out of existence. No one knew if the Wizarding World would survive his madness. I was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. I was busy on many fronts leading the war against him. As such, it was impossible for me to know everything in spite of my best efforts. You were born in Potter Castle when your grandparents were still alive. Your grandfather was a warrior and he had a pretty good idea about how to keep his family safe. Your family has been secretive over the centuries. No private details were ever known about your family to the general wizarding world except for what they saw fit to tell. I did not know that Sirius Black was your god-father when Hagrid brought you to me. By the time the goblins had replied to my inquiries about any of your other living relatives or god-parents, your god-father, Sirius was already in Azkaban. I tried to convince the ministry to look into his conviction since the magics behind the oath would have killed him if he tried to betray your parents. The minister had his mind made up. He flatly refused to look into the matter. To make matters worse, he sealed the record of the hearing classifying the files as 'Official Secret' under the Official Secrets Act. I tried to find some evidence to prove him innocent but I was unsuccessful.

"In answer to your second question, James had told me that he intended to make Sirius the secret keeper of the Cottage. I offered to become their secret keeper but by then our ranks had been breached and no one trusted anyone else. In fact, James and Sirius even suspected Remus Lupin to have gone over to the other side which would have been unimaginable during their school days. When the Fidelius charm had been cast upon the cottage at Godric's Hollow, Sirius came to Hogwarts with a piece of parchment with the secret written on it. He refused to speak the secret aloud in case we were over-heard. Since that night, I have come into possession of some facts which indicate that he may be innocent in the whole secret keeper affair. But then there is the issue of the murder of Peter Pettigrew with 12 muggles about which my information is woefully poor. The Aurors who took him into custody arrived too late to see what actually happened. Any statement that Sirius might have made has been sealed as part of the official record. According to some reliable second-hand information I received, he never made a coherent statement anyway. Since he has been in Azkaban he has not been permitted any visitors. Frankly, the whole thing stinks of cover-up and I want to know what they are hiding."

Harry asked, "Do you still have that parchment or a memory record of it? The hand-writing could tell us who the secret keeper was".

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched, "Yes, that could be most enlightening". He rose from his desk and crossed to a cabinet from which he took a shallow stone basin engraved with runes and symbols. He brought the object back to his desk. Then he put his wand to the side of his head and drew out, as it seemed, a shining silver thread which came away, dangling from his wand. He released the thread into the basin and gave it a stir. An image of Sirius black rose from the basin, "The Potters have taken Harry into hiding. Here is the location. I dare not speak it aloud", and he handed the parchment to someone that Harry did not see.

The Headmaster said, "Harry, this is a Pensieve which I use to view or even enter memories. If you are to see the hand-writing of the secret keeper of your parent's cottage, you will need to enter the memory with me. Come, I will guide you through it". Having said that, Dumbledore showed him how to put his face to the basin. When Harry did so, he tumbled into the Headmaster's office of ten years ago and watched again as Sirius handed the parchment over to Dumbledore. He took a good look at the hand-writing on the parchment before Dumbledore set it on fire and destroyed the note. Then Harry felt the firm grip of Dumbledore on his arm and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the Headmaster's office of today again.

"That was it, Harry. I feel like I should know the hand-writing, but, I just can't place it", Dumbledore said.

Harry thought for a moment then said, "It is most likely that the secret keeper was one of my father's three closest friends. Remus Lupin was out of the country. If Sirius Black had been the traitor, his oath as my god-father would have killed him. That leaves only peter Pettigrew, the one known as Wormtail. IF we can get a sample of his hand-writing, we can confirm it".

Dumbledore nodded quietly, "I shall look into that, Harry".

Harry had taken in everything that the Headmaster had said. The meeting had proved to be very illuminating for him and cleared up a lot of perceptions.

It was then Dumbledore said, "Now can I ask a few questions, my boy?"

Harry gave him a lop-sided grin, "Ask away, Professor. I will answer as completely as I can".

Dumbledore saw the lop-sided grin and shuddered. It had never boded well for the school when James Potter wore that expression while he was a student here and he had no hope that anything would change. Anyhow the school had become too monotonous since there were only the Weasley twins left to prank the school. Maybe, they could do with more laughter all around. He would have to wait and see.

He turned to Harry, "Who has raised you all these years? Where have you been living? Who took you out of your aunt and uncle's house?"

Harry gave him the half-truth as Arcturus had instructed him, "I was raised by Lord Arcturus Orion Black of the House of Black who had removed me from the House by an acquaintance of his. Since the person who removed me from the house was neither branded nor had any hostile intention towards me, the wards you placed were unable to stop him. I was raised away from Wizarding Britain in the way of the heir of house. Lord Black made sure that I got exposure to the Muggle world as well. That is all that I can really say I am afraid".

Dumbledore nodded, "I understand, my boy. It is just that I had been worried about you all these years. Now that you are here, I have to make sure that you are well and in fine health. The Minister of Magic has messaged me by floo twice requesting an audience with you. He claims that Lord Black has no right to take custody of you. Do you have anything which can establish his claim?"

Harry pulled a copy of the bequest out of his robes and set it on the table before the headmaster, "This is the last will and testament of Lord James Charlus Potter and Lady Lily Potter nee Evans. This clearly states a list of people who were authorised to take custody of me. You will find that Sirius Black and his legal relatives were placed at the top of the list. Since Lord Black is his grand-father and brother to my grand-mother, he is entitled to take custody.

"I have no desire to meet with the minister who is a bumbling fool with no visions for the betterment of the Wizarding World. Please present this copy of the Will to him and tell him to leave me alone or Lord Black will have to come and set him straight".

Dumbledore had just remembered something, "I also want to thank you Harry for the trust that your parents have created to fund the education of deserving but poor students. Hogwarts education is not cheap and due to the paucity of funds from the ministry, we have not been able to give the best to the students for years now. With this trust fund in place, I trust that they will be better served and we will be able to upgrade many of the facilities of the school".

Harry waved him off, "Headmaster, everyone deserves the best education and I am rather thankful to them that they thought of it".

Dumbledore smiled, "That's not all, Harry. I received a letter from Lord Black on 1st August in which he had provided for a similar corpus fund worth five-hundred thousand Galleons and told us to give those scholarships in the names of James and Lily Potter".

Harry realised in that moment what Lord Black had been doing while Harry was in Madam Malkin's. The old wizard never failed to surprise him.

Dumbledore was saying, "I met with Ragnok a few days after receiving the letter and merged the two funds together, entrusting him to manage it. We call these the Potters Scholarship. With the initial amount of Fifty thousand that was sent, I daresay many students have benefited".

Harry asked him something which had been on his mind, "Headmaster, what do you know about the 'Adventures of Harry Potter' book series? I am told that he published those books with your permission".

Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes. The author approached me about a decade ago with an idea for fictional story books to be published with the boy-who-lived as the protagonist. Since I was the only one that people knew to be concerned with your welfare, he asked for my permission. I initially wanted to refuse but then I realised that he may go ahead and publish those books without asking and so will others who definitely would jump on the wagon when they will see it minting money. So I gave him a license for 10 years to publish those books provided he let me see them beforehand and that he would pay 20% of the net revenue from the sale of the books and related merchandise to an account to be held in trust for you until you were able to claim it. The Gnomes in Switzerland have been looking after that account for you, earning about 9% per annum. At last report, you had thirteen million galleons which you may draw on at any time. You have earned 66 galleons, 13 sickles and 18 knuts while you've been sitting here talking with me".

Just then, Harry's stomach gave a loud growl, "Headmaster, if you have any other questions for me, I am at your disposal, but, I would like to join my friends for dinner".

Dumbledore smiled brightly, "of course, Harry. I'm looking forward to some treacle tart myself".

**Library**

After dinner, the next place that fascinated him and Neville was the library. Rows upon rows of shelves in the library were bulging with books and groaning under their weight. The librarian, Madame Pince was a stern looking witch who did not tolerate any one making a ruckus in the library or defiling her beloved books. It had been said that she told students off for speaking too loudly and even banned students for creating a disturbance in the library. The legends also said that she had hexed the library books to beat someone on the head if they defiled the books in anyway.

Harry and Neville took a seat at the back of the library in a niche where people would have to really look to find them and they could see if anyone approached them. They took parchment quills and ink out of their school bags and got started on their homework. Harry had passed a message to Daphne at breakfast to meet him in the library after dinner. The boys were waiting for her to arrive.

Daphne arrived and Harry hugged her lightly with Neville doing the same. She asked playfully, "How is the Lion's den, Potter-Black?"

Neville replied, "Just everyone was gawking at him and murmuring behind his back while he tried to ignore them".

Daphne smirked, "Are you still sure that you should have been in Gryffindor?"

Harry smirked but said nothing. Daphne asked him, "Have you found anyone to ally within the Lion's Den?"

Harry shook his head, "I need to spend more time with them to really know. Neville and I share a dorm with Ronald Weasley, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. They seem to be alright. Then there's that muggle-born Hermione Granger. She is a know-it-all but she seems to pick things up really quickly. However unlike you Miss Greengrass, I am not friends with the scions of other Houses. As far as they are concerned, I have been living under a rock all my life. I will need to gauge them and their loyalties before I decide if I can ally with them".

Daphne said, "You will need to meet the heirs to the allies of House Potter. Make friendships with them. I can help you to know who they are".

He nodded, "That would be great! For now, I am keeping you as my secret weapon until it becomes imperative for me to use you against any unforeseen emergency".

They kept up the small talk while keeping an eye out for anyone who might be interested in finding their whereabouts or showed too much interest in what they were talking about. Harry saw Hermione approaching and signalled to Daphne who made herself scarce. He made a mental note to remember to use that device his grand-uncle had given him the next time they met with Daphne. They were not going to let others into their secret for now, especially not someone that they did not know at all. They were playing by the rules of Slytherin which needed them to be extremely secretive in their dealings so that no one would realise their move until it was too late. Arcturus had taught him that fame was not a bad thing and should be used for their benefit. It was only the motives which made it bad or good. Harry fully intended to use his fame for his own ends.

Neville and Harry spent the rest of the evening mapping out the secret doors and passageways. They had about three hours until they had to be back in their tower and they were going to make use of every minute of it. They paid particular attention to the fastest routes between their tower and their classrooms. Potions classes in the dungeon were not until Friday morning so they left mapping out that route until last.

Of more interest to healthy, growing pre-teens was raiding the kitchen. Following Moony's notes, Harry and Neville arrived by the painting of the fruit bowl and tickled the pear. When they climbed through the portal, they were greeted by a number of house elves who bowed and asked them what they would like. As Harry looked around the gleaming kitchen, he realized that the hour was getting late and the elves did not have anything ready cooked.

Harry asked, "Do you have any fresh fruit?"

With a squeak of delight, one of the house elves streaked away and came back a second later with a bowl laden with grapes, apples, bananas and a couple of pomegranates. With their ill-gotten gains, Harry and Neville used their best route to get back to the Gryffindor tower before their time ran out.

He remembered Remus's advice about trying to summon the Marauder's map. He drew his wand and raising it, chanted, "Accio Marauder's map". He waited for 5 minutes but nothing happened. Perhaps it was imbued with an anti-summoning charm or it was in a place where a summoning charm did not work.

**Gryffindor Common Room**

When Neville and Harry climbed through the portal behind the painting of the Fat Lady, they found Hermione in front of the fire, reading ahead for their Defence Against the Dark arts class. They hadn't managed to get much of a start on their assignments while they were in the library, so Harry and Neville joined Hermione by the fire and got to work. In the next hour before lights-out, they managed to get most of it done.

The next morning, Harry woke up just before dawn. The last two days had been hectic, long and busy. He needed to get back to his exercise routine. With Astronomy going until midnight tomorrow, he was already planning to skip his workout for Thursday morning. So, he got to it right away . By the time he changed and went down for breakfast, he felt more alert and awake than he had for days.

**Defence Classroom**

The first class in the morning was double Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws and Professor Quirrell. Harry had been looking forward to it, thinking that he would get to use some of what his great Uncle had taught him, but; much to his disappointment, the class was a bit of a joke. The teacher was stuttering the whole time. He had a nervous twitch in one eye. He also wore a giant turban and there was a strange smell about him, sort of a mixture of meat that had gone bad and garlic.

With all these distractions, he managed to talk about Gytrashes through his stuttering. He told them about their nature, what threat they posed and how to kill them. At the end of class, he gave them an assignment to write a foot of parchment on Gytrashes to be handed in by next class. Harry had already learnt all the spells that they were expected to be taught in the first year and was really disappointed with the choice of the teacher. There were also some ridiculous rumours going around about the Professor like he was being chased by a Vampire and stuffed garlic in his turban to ward off the vampire or that he had been bitten by an Inferi and was about to become one. Harry had no idea how one could spread such ridiculous rumours or why anyone would believe them.

Another thing had been the muggle-born witch Hermione Granger. Just like in the other classes, she had her hand up to answer every question. Harry understood that she was knowledgeable and knew everything that was in the books assigned to them but that was no reason for her to raise her hand every time a question was asked. Even in Professor Quirrell's class, she had been raising her hand to answer the questions though the Defense Professor was more like a joke than an able teacher. She also had a habit of giving unsolicited advice to others about things. All in all, Harry could see that if she did not change her ways she would be ostracized by the house. She tried to talk to everyone and whoever would talk to her, she would start questioning them or telling them about things she had studied from the books without realising that perhaps others were not as enthusiastic as her.

Arcturus had told him that Voldemort was not dead yet he had sternly told Harry that he was not to stop living. They would keep delaying his return anyway that they could while searching for the horcruxes and destroying them so that if he ever regained a body during Harry's lifetime, he would have to be killed only once. Arcturus had planned everything and the first phase had been to raise him to be able to command power and not to shy away from it. The second phase would be to forge alliances in the school which would be of use to him later in life. The third phase was to seize power in Wizarding Britain and to change its dynamics but that would happen after he had ascended to his Lordships. So, to live his life away from the cloud of Voldemort, Harry had taken to exploring other things which a teenage wizard would do. He loved flying, wanted to learn duelling and when the time came would run the Wizengamot as per his machinations without stepping into the open.

After lunch, they were out to the greenhouses again for herbology. Then the rest of the afternoon was free. It didn't take Harry and Neville long to plow through their homework assignments and get back to the business of mapping out the school.

Neville made an excuse and headed off to the greenhouses, leaving Harry to continue exploring the castle on his own. As he was passing through the transfiguration courtyard he noticed the twins were huddled in a corner and peering at a piece of parchment in their hands. They were so engrossed in it that they failed to notice Harry observing them. Harry casually approached them and cast a fleeting look at the parchment they were peering at. His breath hitched in his throat. They were using the Marauder's Map!

Excited but remembering to breathe, he approached them, "Hello, what are the two of you looking at?"

While one of the twins muttered, "Mischief managed", under his breath and tapped the map with his wand, the other one of the twins said, "Oh, hello, Hadrian Potter-Black".

The other said, "We were just looking at a random piece of parchment".

Together they said, "Don't let us keep you".

Harry smirked evilly, "If you think the Marauder's map is indeed a random piece of parchment, I would be happy to take it off your hands".

Their mouths were open in surprise and they were looking at him with astonishment? Surprise? Awe? It was hard to tell.

One of the twins asked gaping, "How do you know about the Map?"

Harry said, "Simple. I know about the creators of the map. Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are practically family to me".

One of the twins said, "I do not believe it".

The other said, "However if you can prove it".

They said together, "we will think about sharing it with you".

Harry gave them his best maniacal grin, "Mates, this is not about sharing. This by rights of inheritance belongs to me. Once I have proven ownership, I may allow you to use it".

One of them said, amused, "My dear friend, explain".

The other added, "How can you claim inheritance to it?"

Harry said, "Allow me to show you". He took the map from him and tapped it with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good".

The Marauder's map appeared and the map of the castle started spreading below the tip of his wand. The twins were looking at him with wide eyes and he wanted to laugh at their expressions. After the map had opened, he tapped it again, "Mischief Managed", and the map went blank.

He turned to the twins, "So exactly when did you find the pass code to open it?"

One of them answered, "After we had been insulted far too many times."

The other added, "Not to mention being told off as cheap knock-offs."

The first one said again, "it was then that we figured out the way."

The second added, "and you opened it as if you know it."

Harry smiled, "Of course I know it. Shall I give you more proof of my claim?"

They nodded, "Go ahead, mate and get insulted."

Harry tapped his wand to the parchment and said, "Prongslet wishes good day to the Marauders."

Writing in a fairly regal hand appeared upon the parchment, "Moony wishes good day to Prongslet and asks him how he came to be?"

Darker, blockier writing followed, "Mr. Padfoot wishes to know how 'Prongslet' knows of the Marauders?"

A third line appeared, "Mr. Wormtail wishes to know who is Prongslet's mother?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat. There it was! That same rounded, squat hand-writing, confirmed that Wormtail was the secret keeper and the traitor.

The fourth line, in a slanted pointier hand, said, "Prove who you are, Prongslet."

Harry said to the map, "I am the son of James Potter aka Prongs and Lily Potter. I am the godson of Sirius Black aka Padfoot while Remus Lupin is Moony and Peter Pettigrew is Wormtail. "

Again one line appeared, "Mr. Padfoot wishes good luck to Prongslet and hopes he has become the next marauder unlike those dubious twins."

Another followed, "Mr. Wormtail still has doubts but wishes good luck to Prongslet."

And there it was again. There was no doubt.

Third line appeared, "Mr. Moony hopes Prongslet would beat those twins who cannot guess a password."

Fourth followed, "Mr. Prongs wishes Prongslet good luck to beat those twins at pranks".

The twins huffed, "This rag of a parchment has insulted us too much".

Harry was torn. Here was proof that Wormtail had been the secret keeper. But to use such a dubious artifact as evidence was shaky at best. Harry decided to let Dumbledore have some time to do as he said he would before resorting to using the map in that way. For now, he decided to leave the map in the care of the Weasley twins. Harry smirked, "Don't worry. You can use it provided you will let me join in your pranks".

The twins shared a look which said that this would be interesting. Harry took his leave of them, leaving the Marauder's map with them for whatever prank they were planning and kept touring the castle.

In the evening before he went to bed, he had the time for developing the photos that he had taken on the train ride and during school. The only trick was finding a dark-room to do the developing. From what he was told, the process of developing wizarding photos was not too different from the way the muggles did it. The main difference being that wizards used specific potions which animated the photos while the muggles used chemicals which created a fixed image. He used the bathroom just off the seventh floor dormitory that he shared with the other first years, having blocked off the window and doused the lights, he developed them all and then left them to dry. With the photos drying, he wrote a lengthy letter to Remus which he planned to send with Zeus who was waiting for him in the owlery. In the letter to Remus, he had told him all about his exploits and that he had recovered the map already. He also asked him to send over the enchanted mirrors which Remus had kept with him all these years so that he would not have to wait for Zeus every time he wanted to send a message or would have to send Hedwig. While he could talk on a floo with Moony in the Gryffindor Common Room or even in their dorm, they wanted to keep it to a minimum not giving any reason to Dumbledore to suspect his involvement in Harry's abduction. He knew that since Moony and Lord Black were in London now, he would get the enchanted mirrors in two to three days if Moony was not pre-occupied. As it was, the werewolf had been looking after Harry's businesses and acting in his stead as Regent for House Potter dealing with Gringotts. They had decided that in the upcoming session, he would be officially invested in his capacity as Lord Regent of House Potter. Only a handful of people knew of his condition as a werewolf and most of them were already dead so there was nothing to fear on that score.

Looking ahead tomorrow was going to be a long day. Charms, DADA (Defence Against the Dark Arts), double History of Magic and capping it off with double Astronomy which went to midnight. Oh well, it could not be helped and all his fellow first years had to do the same thing. Popping the window to the dorm open, he gave a shrill whistle which summoned Zeus from the owlery. Having tied the letter with the photos to his leg, he opened the dorm window and sent him back to the Black townhouse.

**Black Town House**

The pre-dawn glow was just beginning to light the sky on Wednesday morning when Remus was sitting in the library reading some books. Lord Black was in his study tending to some House Business. They had been working on many things since they had returned to Wizarding Britain because the days of living in the shadows were over. Hadrian Potter-Black was back among the populace and they no longer had a reason for hiding. Now it was time to make some waves. Arcturus had not forgotten the insults or the behaviour of Fudge towards him and wanted to make him rue the day he had refused to agree to a request from Lord Black. The bumbling fool needed to be reminded that the name of Black was still formidable despite whatever had happened in the war.

Remus raised his head when he heard tapping on the window and saw Zeus hovering outside it. The falcon must have flown all night to make the trip from Hogwarts and arrive at this hour of the morning. He flicked his wand and the window opened inwards. Zeus flew in and landed on the arm-rest of his chair bearing a letter in his talons. Remus eagerly tore through the envelope in his haste to read the letter and a bunch of photos fell to the ground with a letter from Harry. He picked up the photos and placed them on the table while he started to read the letter. It was very detailed as he had expected.

_**"Dear Moony,**_

_**I am so disappointed. All the detailed accounts you gave me of the castle do not seem to do a bit of justice to the castle. Everything that I heard from you turned out to be an understatement as I saw the castle from the boat. It felt like I have never seen anything more beautiful than this in my life.**_

_**I took a lot of pictures on the train and in the school. I have enclosed them with the letter so that you can put them in an album for me. **_

_**Professor McGonagall is as stern as you told us and she showed no favour to anyone for their name or ancestry. Dumbledore as you said is brilliant but a bit crazy. He announced it to the Great Hall that the right wing of the third floor is out of bounds unless someone wishes to die a painful death. I wonder what he meant.**_

_**Talking of Dumbledore, he called me to his office the day after sorting and asked my forgiveness for placing me with the muggles. I was expecting him to manipulate me, make me feel ashamed and try to force me to go back to them but he outright accepted that he was in the wrong about placing me there and explained why he believed that he had no other means to keep me safe other than some blood wards he had erected over their property. After his apology, I find it hard to hold on to a grudge against him. I think I would rather make an ally out of him than an adversary. After all we have the same goals in our sight. He would be a massive help if Voldemort decides to make a comeback.**_

_**I also found the Marauders Map with Fred and George who are twins and sons of the Weasley Family. They nicked it out of Filch's office and have been able to unlock it after a heap of insults from Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. I proved that it belongs to me by way of inheritance because in living memory I am the only one alive who can claim to be an heir of the legacy of the marauders. I let them borrow the map for a few days to help them with their pranks.**_

_**I met Peeves and gave him your message that the Marauders would come back and give him trouble. He almost fell out of the air.**_

_**I also had my first classes and I am disappointed with the choice of defense teacher. Professor Quirrell suffers from lack of confidence, stutters all the time while he is teaching and is afraid of his own shadow. The charms teacher Professor Flitwick is a very jovial bloke and tries to liven up his classes and keep the mood of the class up all the time. He is very patient with his students and does not rebuke them if they make some mistakes.**_

_**I also like professor Sprout. She is very down-to earth and treats everyone the same. I have already seen some fascinating plants. She says that there are much more exotic plants in the other greenhouses, but, for our own safety, we won't be dealing with them until we have a lot more experience.**_

_**Neville and Daphne are well and send their love to you. I am making some more friends. Lord Black (please don't tell him I called him that) would be happy to know that.**_

_**I will write soon to tell you about my experience with the other classes.**_

_**"You should also know that I have learned that the one who betrayed my parents to Voldemort was Wormtail. If you can find a sample of his hand-writing and send it to Dumbledore, we can prove it.**_

_**P.S. - please send me the communication mirror so I would not have to wait for Zeus to bring a letter to me or for Hedwig to make a trip to London to know how you are doing.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Prongslet"**_

Remus smiled to himself. The lad was settling in well and enjoying school. By the looks of it, he would have no trouble in school for anything that he chose to do. He was nostalgic for a moment when he remembered the map and the peaceful happy times when it had been crafted. He merely cringed a little when he thought what havoc Prongslet would wreck on the castle with the map and the cloak in his hands. He was curious to know how the lad had figured out that Wormtail was the traitor. Proving it might help to get Sirius released, but it could go the other way because it was also more than adequate to show motive for murder if Sirius knew the same thing. Laying hold of some of Wormtail's hand writing would be difficult. He had been dead ten years after all and his parents were no longer around... Then he remembered what the Marauder's map can do and it all fell into place. No matter, Pettigrew was long dead and there was no rush.

He picked up the stack of pictures and started looking through them. He was happy seeing the lad smile and being a child around people of his own age until he found a photo which made his blood run cold. The photo was of a compartment of the train and there were Harry, Neville and a red-headed boy in the picture with a rat. A rat which had a finger missing which could be coincidence but as Remus looked closely, he found that the rat had all the markings which were distinguishable on his former friend, the one touted as a hero and thought to be dead- PETER PETTIGREW.

Remus clutching the photo ran the three flights of stairs to the Lord's study and entered the room without even knocking.

Arcturus jumped in surprise, "Remus, what... what is the matter? Has something happened with Harry?"

Remus wheezed, "he is... he is alive. Pete... Peter... Peter is alive, Lord Black. Sirius is innocent and I have the proof!"

Arcturus jumped out of his chair and held Remus firmly by the shoulders shaking him in the process, "what are you saying Remus? How do you know?"

Remus showed him the photo, "It was he who betrayed Lilly and James. He is at Hogwarts near Harry, ready to harm him if the chance comes."

Arcturus looked at the photo, scrutinizing it and gave a maniacal grin, "It looks like we are going to pay a visit to Amelia Bones."

**Bones Manor**

The sun was just barely showing at the horizon. Amelia was relaxing over breakfast and the morning edition of the Daily Prophet. She still had a couple of hours to go before she took the floo network to the ministry to start her work day. It had been three days since Susan had gone to Hogwarts and the empty manor felt like a castle to her without her little girl running around. She had raised Susan since her parents had been murdered during the first war and not having any children of her own; she felt that Susan was her own daughter. The wards around the manor chimed meaning that someone was at the ward line and demanding entrance. Carefully, she put her wand in the sleeve of her robes and ordered her elf to escort the visitors to the parlour from the boundary of the property.

The manor had been designed in such a way that there was a ward line around the entire property. Inside the ward line, there was a parlor set at a side at a distance from the main building which was surrounded with wards of its own. So anyone could enter the ward line but not the main building unless Amelia let them. She strode carefully to the parlor and entered to find Arcturus Orion Black and Remus Lupin sitting there. She knew Lord Black by reputation and Remus through Edgar who had studied with them at Hogwarts though they were in different houses. She was surprised to see these two together. Mainly because Remus Lupin was a light wizard who had fought on the side of the Order of the Phoenix in the war while Lord Black's descendants had fought for the dark side. To see the two of them sitting peacefully together in her parlor was a bit unsettling for her.

She levelled her wand at them, "How do I know that you both are Arcturus Black and Remus Lupin?"

Arcturus said quickly, "We can take a magical oath to prove that we are who we claim to be."

She nodded and they both whipped their wands out and took a magical oath that they were who they claimed to be. After Amelia lowered her wand, Arcturus approached and took her hand and pretended to kiss her knuckles, "Madam Bones, thank you for allowing us into your charming manor and giving us an audience". Remus bowed to her respectfully.

She signalled them to sit and took a seat across from them appearing to be carefree but she was taut as a bow-string, ready to draw her wand at a moment's notice and start hexing the other two wizards at the slightest provocation.

She turned to Arcturus, "Lord Black, what brings you here today? I suppose there must be a good reason for you to publicly show yourself after a decade".

Arcturus beamed at her, "Madam Bones, recently I came into some evidence which certainly proves that Sirius Black is innocent of betraying the Potters, of murdering Peter Pettigrew and is very likely not responsible for the death of the 12 muggles either".

She frowned, "He was convicted by the war tribunal, Lord Black. He confessed".

Arcturus sighed, "Were you personally a witness to that hearing, Madame Bones?"

She responded, "The whole proceeding is a matter of public record. You know that I wasn't there".

Arcturus frowned, "Then you were not there. Neither was anyone else that I have been able to find. I have not seen anything to indicate to me that he had confessed or that he was rightfully convicted. I tried to ask the minister to let me see those documents but that idiot Fudge sealed those documents under the Official Secrets Act, meaning that only you can access those documents now".

She shrugged, "If I accept that you are speaking the truth, what evidence do you have of the innocence of Sirius Black?"

Remus produced the photo which Harry had sent to him. It showed the rat. He told her how Peter had become an Animagus in the form of a rat. The rat in the photo was missing a toe from its right forepaw. All they ever found of Peter was just a finger. He also said that the markings on the rat in the photo, taken last Sunday on the Hogwarts Express, matched his memory of the markings on Wormtail.

When he had finished, she said, "What you have here is a wild story and a photo of a rat with a toe missing. Even supposing that I believe you, I need proof to connect your story with this photo. That will give me enough to apprehend this rodent and attempt to question it".

Remus spoke, "I was witness to many of his transformations. I can give you a memory record which clearly shows his transformation and unique markings".

Amelia said, "that would do it. I would like the two of you to enjoy the breakfast table of my manor while I gather what we will need from my office".

She ordered her house elves to see to the meal. Arcturus and Remus both stood and bowed to her before she stepped to the fireplace. She took a box from mantel and tossing a pinch of powder into the floo, she said clearly, "Ministry of Magic". Then she disappeared in a flash of emerald flame as she stepped into the fireplace.

In less time than it took for the two wizards to consume two plates of eggs benedict with hash-brown potatoes, Amelia was back. She emerged from the emerald flames with her investigator Anna Daily and four Aurors- Proudfoot, Gawain Robards, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones in tow. She was also carrying a Pensieve and a file with the records from Sirius's hering.

She did not waste one minute. She tossed the file to Arcturus for him to review saying, "No one is to ever know that I let you see that file however you were right. The file only contains the arrest memo and nothing more. If the minister got snarky about it, he could send me to Azkaban for it". To Remus, she presented the Pensieve and said, "OK, let's have a look at that memory. If Peter Pettigrew was indeed alive and living near Harry Potter then he could not be allowed to remain at liberty for one moment more."

Remus pulled a silver strand from his temple and placed it in the Pensieve. He placed the basin on the table and Amelia's entourage took it in turns to enter the memory of Pettigrew transforming into a rat and running in circles, showing all sides of his markings. They each took notes and made sketches of what they saw then compared what they had observed to the photo. They all agreed that the rat in the photo was indeed the illegal animagus Peter Pettigrew. When they concurred their findings, her mind was made up.

**Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office**

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, pouring over applications of potential recipients of the Potter Scholarship when there was a burst of green flame in his fireplace. He knew that there were less than 20 witches or wizards in the entire world who had access to his floo address, so it wasn't that big a surprise to see the head of the DMLE looking up at him.

He said, "What may I do for you Madame Bones?"

She said, "I have a matter of some urgency, Headmaster, would you be able to accommodate a party of eight in your office?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he said, "Certainly. Be my guest". Then he turned to the portraits and said, "Please inform the heads of house to meet in my office immediately".

The figures left their paintings as first Amelia, then her investigator, followed by the Aurors, then much to Dumbledore's surprise, Lord Black and Remus Lupin!

"Remus, my boy!" Dumbledore exclaimed, "Where have you been hiding all these years?"

The werewolf was excited and it was not clear if he did not hear the Headmaster's question or ignored it. He was also surprised to see Arcturus in the castle. The door to Dumbledore's office swung open as Professor McGonigal entered, followed shortly by Flitwick, Sprout and finally Snape.

He focused on Amelia, "Madam Bones, what brings you here today?"

Amelia said to him gravely, "Headmaster, I came into some information today which may prove that we committed a gross injustice to a law-abiding citizen 10 years ago by throwing him into prison without any offense".

Dumbledore asked curiously, "Who are you talking about?"

Amelia replied, "Sirius Black who has been languishing in Azkaban all these years for betraying the Potters has never been properly convicted of any crime. The previous administration bungled it and the current administration did not care to set things straight".

Severus Snape sneered, "He was guilty of betraying the Potters, Madam Bones".

Remus wanted to punch the hook nosed professor in the face but Arcturus beat him to it, "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth, death eater. You have a lot of gall to stand here preaching about my grandson being guilty while you gleefully took the dark mark and served that charlatan".

Dumbledore pleaded, "Lord Black, please do not insult a teacher of this school.". He turned to Snape, "Severus my boy, please be quiet and let me talk to them. This is more important than your childhood grudges".

Amelia showed the photo to Dumbledore, "Headmaster, the rat in the photo is an illegal animagus who goes by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Mr. Lupin has confirmed that it is the same person by means of a memory whose credibility I have established through a solicitor's Pensieve".

Dumbledore replied, "Then let us proceed to the Gryffindor tower, Madam Bones. We should corner him before he realises that you are here to capture him".

Dumbledore led them to the portrait hole and the fat-lady swung outside without waiting for the password. As they were entering, Dumbledore said, "Who would have thought that I, a Gryffindor through and through would lead two Hufflepuffs (Amelia and Professor Sprout), a couple of Slytherins (Arcturus, Severus), a couple of Ravenclaws (Hestia, Professor Flitwick) and a whole bunch of Gryffindors into the tower willingly." The others chuckled at his statement despite the general mood being grim.

As they entered the common room, Kingsley cast the imperturbable charm on the portrait hole so that no one could go out and he and Hestia stood on either side of the portrait hole with their wands drawn. Dumbledore pulled out his rather strange looking wand and cautiously strode forward towards the stairway to the Boy's Dormitories.

Harry was in the common room having just returned from his running around the Black Lake when the strange entourage entered the room. He bounded over to embrace Remus joyfully, then bowed respectfully to Arcturus as is proper for an heir to do.

Arcturus stayed with Harry. Flitwick and Snape took up station on either side of the door to the boy's Dormatory stairs. The rest of the party quietly climbed the stairs until McGonagall and Sprout took up station on the landing at the sixth floor. Dumbledore, Amelia, Daily, Gawain, Proudfoot and Remus walked up to the first year dorms at the top of the tower.

Dumbledore asked Gawain and Proudfoot to stand guard at the door while he, Amelia and Remus rushed into the room, wands drawn. They startled all four of Harry's room-mates awake which was evidenced by the grumbling followed by four sets of bed-curtains being drawn back by blurry eyed youths, trying to find out what was going on. For a split second, the rat poked his nose out from Ron's bed and locked eyes with Remus. Then the chase was on. The red stunners followed the rat in rapid-fire succession as the trio tried to stop the fleeing rodent. After a few seconds, they got smart and Dumbledore fired in front of the rat's line of travel while Amelia fired to its right and Remus fired to its left. The rat obligingly dodged straight into Remus's stunner and was knocked senseless.

Ron who had been dumb during this entire scene cried out, " Scabbers! What are you doing to my rat?!"

Remus picked him up by the scruff of his neck growling, "Hello Peter, thought you would escape us?"

In a calm, measured tone, Dumbledore said, "I am sorry, young Mr. Weasley but that is no rat. You may come with us if you want to see what he really is".

They brought the stunned rat to the common room where McGonagall forced him to return to his natural form. The rat transformed into a man who was half-bald, short height, watery eyed and looked like a rat. His nose was even twitching like one. Ron just looked on in horrified fascination.

Harry asked Remus, "Is this him, Moony?"

Remus viciously smiled, "Yes, Harry. Allow me to introduce you to Peter Pettigrew".

What? "He... He is an animagus? He lived with me for 10 years!" someone exclaimed and they turned to see a red-head boy with a Prefect badge on his robes doing imitation of a fish gasping for breath. The twins were smirking, no doubt planning to rub it in that he had been sleeping with a bloke for the last 10 years while Ron looked mortified that his stupid pet was a death-eater in disguise.

The contingent of wizards took their leave of the tower to go to the Headmaster's office and Arcturus let Harry tag along saying that of all people, he deserved to know the truth. Dumbledore had sent Severus to fetch the strongest Veritaserum that he had ever brewed. The potion master was of course happy to cooperate. It only took Severus ten minutes to return to the Headmaster's office with the potion in-hand.

Peter Pettigrew had been tied to a chair with an anti-animagus jinx and was enervated now. The rat was seeing certain death in front of him in the form of Albus Dumbledore, Amelia Bones, Remus Lupin and Harry Potter who despite his small size looked ferocious enough.

Remus opened the interrogation, "Lilly and James treated you better than a brother! They trusted you! How could you sell them out to Voldemort (most of the people shuddered)?"

Amelia pushed Remus aside growling, "This wretch has been hiding for ten years. Your yelling at him is not going to loosen his tongue nor do I think harsh language will work, Mr. Lupin". Drawing her wand, she fired a high-powered bludgeoning hex at him. He cried out in pain as the unmistakable sound of cracking ribs was heard.

He even squealed like a rat, "I have rights! You can't torture me!"

Amelia gave him an evil smirk, "You were declared dead and awarded the Order of Merlin, Third Class for your bravery ten years ago, Peter. An innocent man was convicted for your murder. A dead man has no rights".

She ripped off his sleeve and there it was. The Dark Mark, the brand of Voldemort. It had faded to grey lines from the dark lines that it used to be during the war but it was unmistakable. She asked Kingsley to pull his head back and poured three drops of Veritaserum down his throat. It took effect after a few seconds. Amelia turned to Dumbledore, "Would you in your authority as Chief Warlock authorise this investigation?"

Albus jovially replied, "Of course Madam Bones. Get me a transcript after you are done and I will ratify it in my capacity as Chief Warlock".

_Amelia turned to Peter, "What is your name?"_

_Peter's eyes had rolled up in his head and he replied monotonously, as if in a trance, "Peter Almeidus Pettigrew"._

_Amelia asked, "Are you a death eater?"_

_Peter responded, "Yes."_

_She asked, "Was Sirius Black a death-eater?"_

_He answered, "No."_

_Amelia asked, "Who betrayed the Potters, Lilly, James and Harry?"_

_Peter answered, "I did."_

_Amelia asked, "How did you end up being their secret keeper?"_

_Peter explained, "James and Sirius suspected that there was a spy of the Dark lord in the Order. They did not trust anyone with their security. I planted suspicions in their minds regarding the loyalty of Remus Lupin and so they kept him out of their plan. Lord Charlus Potter had performed the Fidelius on the cottage and they made me the secret keeper. They let everyone believe that Sirius was their secret-keeper. They thought it was the perfect deception. They could not have known that I, a talentless thing was the very spy they feared. I gave their secret to the Dark Lord"._

_Amelia asked, "Who else did you betray to the Dark Lord?"_

_Peter listed them off, "The Prewett twins, Dorcas Meadows, Caradoc Dearborn, Edgar and Ellie Bones, the McKinnons."_

Amelia wanted to kill the rat at that instant. She had never cast an unforgiveable but the list of his crimes was making her hate this vermin before her with every fibre of her being and if she didn't care about freeing an innocent languishing in prison then she would have killed the rat and dumped his body in the forbidden forest.

_Amelia asked, "What happened that night when the 12 muggles were killed?"_

_Peter answered, "Sirius had been tracking me for the last three days. When he cornered me at last, on a muggle street, I started shouting as if he had betrayed James and Lily. Then I cast the bombarda behind my back and escaped as a rat into the sewers through the hole I created. I did not mean for the muggles to die. They were just standing too close when I fired off the spell. I wandered for a few days before I reached Ottery St. Catchpole where a read-head boy adopted me as his pet."_

After the investigation was completed, Amelia administered the counter potion to him. He was shackled with magic restraining cuffs and transported to a safe house. He would be held there until he could appear before the Wizengamot on Saturday. Dumbledore happily signed an order to transfer Sirius Black from Azkaban to St. Mungo's where he would be under the care of the healers until the hearing on Saturday.

As they were leaving, Arcturus told Harry that he would take him to the Wizengamot for the hearing on Saturday. Remus hugged him telling him that it was a stroke of luck that they had captured Peter and Sirius would be with them soon.

**The Great Hall**

The whole business had been wrapped up in less than an hour. Such was the efficiency of Amelia Bones and her hand-picked crew. Harry left the Headmaster's office and charged back to the Gryffindor tower to find the common-room full of the students talking about what had happened. The Weasleys, all four of them, seemed to be at the centre of the group with everyone firing questions at them. A ripple went through the crowd as people realized that Harry had just come in through the portal. They turned and started to try and question him, but he waved both hands in the air, gesturing for silence.

"I don't know about you blokes, but all this excitement has made me hungry.", He gave his best lop-sided grin, "What say we all go down to breakfast." Turning back toward the portal, he gestured from over his shoulder, "Let's go!"

Without another thought, they all poured out through the portal and headed down the stairs to the Great Hall. They made quite a scene and any students who saw them along the way joined the throng out of curiosity.

Harry and Neville started walking in step. The idea caught on and before they knew it, the entire crowd was marching together. By the time they reached the Great Hall, Harry had all of Gryffindor, most of Ravenclaw and even a few Hufflepuffs, marching in step behind him. As they passed the tables, the students of the other houses split off until only the Gryffindors marched past the Slytherin table and took their seats. Dumbledore's beard was moving at the corners. Snape stared with sullen disbelief. McGonagall's mouth was not quite so thin a line as usual. Hadrian Potter-Black had just made a statement.

The first years all sat in a group with the twins near by. Hermione started asking questions about what happened that morning, something which the others probably wanted to do anyway, "Harry, who were all those people who came in the tower this morning? Who was the man who was hiding as a rat? What crime did he commit? What will happen to him?"

Harry sighed. "Miss Granger, I am sorry that I cannot answer all of your questions. You will have to be content with what I can say. While I like your active, inquisitive mind, some things must be kept confidential. I hope that you will respect that. Now as to your questions, I can say that the people who came this morning were Madam Bones- the head of the DMLE and a few of her Aurors. The old man was Lord Black of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black and the one who spoke to me was Remus Lupin. The rat is Peter Pettigrew, an illegal animagus. He has been hiding and presumed dead for nearly ten years. It was thought that he was murdered, along with twelve muggles, in an explosion at the hands of Sirius Black. I'm sorry I cannot say anything about what the man may have done or his fate because it is part of an active investigation and I could face criminal charges if I did."

Hermione again had a lot of questions but she said nothing deciding to find out answers by herself. The extensive library of Hogwarts would contain all those answers.

As he was leaving breakfast, he was approached by Draco Malfoy, "Hello Potter. I am Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. I was looking for you on the train. You should have told me that you are Harry Potter. I just wanted you to know that I can help you here. Certain families are better than others and you would do well to be my friend. With the Slytherins behind me and the Lions behind you, we can rule the wizarding world. Surely you would not want to become friends with the wrong sort".

Harry looked at him scornfully, "Yes, I have heard about you, Malfoy and what would the wrong sort be? As far as I know, your father was accused of being a death eater and used the imperious curse defence to narrowly escape spending the rest of his life in Azkaban. This is not the case with the people who actually are my friends. Also, what do you have to offer me to consider your friendship? Your family name? That is dirt on the continent from where they actually came. The Family Line of House Malfoy is disgraced in France and your family is never allowed to return. You cannot lead people by yourself and intimidation will not work without the Black name backing you up. I can see who the wrong sort is".

Draco wanted to retort but at the same moment Professor McGonagall descended and he left followed by his posse of lackeys.

Ron said to him, "Wow Harry, you taught him a good lesson. The Snakes are all death-eaters".

Harry glared at him, "No, Ron. Not all of them. The parents of that mangy lot for sure, but not all. Do you know that there are a couple of Slytherins in your family tree, Ronald? Your own grand-mother and my Great aunt Cedrella Weasley nee Black was a Slytherin during her years at Hogwarts. The man who was arrested yesterday from the Gryffindor Common Room was a Gryffindor during his time at Hogwarts. Our choices define us, not which house we belong to. I for one will not tolerate bigotry or biases".

Ron started to open his mouth then thought better of it.

The first class for the day was Charms with the Ravenclaws again. The time flew by as the professor engaged the class. Harry looked for opportunities to engage some of the Claws in conversation, but it was a busy classroom and they were intent on their studies.

Next up was DADA with Ravenclaw again. They moved as one body down the hall-way to the Defence classroom. Once they got their home-work handed in, the class got pretty dull.

The students managed to make out what the teacher was talking about through his stuttering then opened up their text books to try and learn something useful. Nobody tried to ask any questions and after a while, the teacher just sat silently behind his desk until the period was over.

**Lunch, Great Hall**

The firsties were sitting together in a group for lunch. However Harry noticed that Hermione was sitting away from the others. Although he did not know the muggle-born witch too well, he felt that it was wrong to leave her sitting by herself. He hollered to her, "Hey Granger, come join us here".

Ron tried to stop him, "Harry, she is a bossy, annoying know-it-all who asks too many questions. Nobody can stand her".

Harry glared at him, whispering, "Ron if you want to be my friend then please stop judging others. She is new to the wizarding world and she feels like she has something to prove. It is natural that she would be inclined to ask questions. She will be fine once she gets some acceptance from us and settles down a bit".

Hermione hesitantly rose from her seat and joined them. Harry wanted her to feel included in his group because he had realized that she could browse through the heavy tomes in the library more rapidly. A skill like that would help with research, home-work and, yes, finding spells for pranking. He started asking about her family, her parents, their occupation and other little details, mostly to keep her from asking questions because he knew that once she got started, she would not stop asking questions.

Lunch was a cheerful, enjoyable affair. They were talking about their families in general. Dean was perhaps a half-blood or a muggle born while Seamus was a half-blood. He of course knew about Ron's family. The red head also grumbled about Harry not taking him along all over the castle while exploring and Harry told him to stand for himself. He sternly told him that one must carve their own path and not try to latch onto others. Harry was trying to be inclusive and get to know everyone, but Ron had a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth, running other people down or complaining and it was starting to wear on his nerves.

When Harry was not actively engaged in conversation, he was observing the Slytherin table. Their firsties seemed to be divided into two groups. One was led by Draco Malfoy and others who joined him were Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Bulstrode. The second group was led by Daphne and present in her group were Tracy, Zabini and Lilith Moon. The only oddball was Nott who was by himself and did not seem to be mingling with either of the two groups. Harry mentally smirked that Daphne had started laying groundwork for future domination in Slytherin. They only had to neutralize Malfoy's power and things would be easy for them.

**History of Magic Classroom**

The entire afternoon was taken up by double History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs. Once the students were settled in their seats, the teacher came drifting in through the blackboard. This Professor Binns was almost as bad as Quirrell! He was a ghost. No, he was not a pleasant and engaging spirit like the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick. Harry guessed that this fellow had been an intolerable, old bore before he left his body behind and kept right on teaching. From Harry's reading, it seemed that the shade had his facts straight at least, but, the way he got all of his student's names wrong and just droned on and on in his raspy monotone was enough to put anyone to sleep. When a student wanted to ask a question, he seemed genuinely surprised and somewhat annoyed to find students in his classroom. This fellow was able to make thoroughly boring tripe out of epic battles and even the most amazing political intrigue. Harry thought, and he was not alone in this, that any other teacher would have had the students sitting on the edge of their seats with this material. As it was, even Hermione Granger had trouble keeping her head from drooping.

**Library**

After History of Magic, they only had a half hour to meet in the library. Harry took Neville with him. They took a seat at the very back. Harry produced a little contraption which Lord Black had given him and placed it in the centre of the table. When he tapped it with his wand, the device erected a "notice me not" and a "privacy" ward around them. They both had agreed that they would use the device when they wanted to meet with Daphne for a study session or for having discussions with her. She knew about the device and had been taught about how to find the notice-me-not wards in the library so she would not have to pull her hair in frustration from not finding them.

Daphne came about 10 minutes later with her arms laden with books and dumped those on the table while growling at him, "Where is your famed Gryffindor chivalry, Potter-Black? Can't you help a lady with her burden?"

Harry smirked. "Sorry Miss Greengrass, but each to his own". Neville however was being a proper gentleman to her, helping her with the books and to settle down at the table.

After she made herself comfortable, she asked him, "did you find anyone worth allying with, Harry?"

Harry smiled, "Yes. I befriended Ernie Macmillan who has promised to acquaint me with friends of House Potter and House Black. I have also met charming Miss Bones and Miss Abbott who are very pleasant ladies. I hope to get to know them better during Astronomy tonight. I have yet to find a claw who is interested in making idle chat while we are having a class, though. Also, I am looking through the Lions to find some who are really interesting."

She replied sarcastically, "And what about the Serpents, Oh Mighty One?"

He gave her a lop-sided grin, "As you know, we have yet to have a class together. So far, I have had two encounters with Malfoy and his crew. He seems the sort to be avoided, rather unpleasant. Of course, you and Tracey seem fine for a snake, but I'm reserving judgement until I get to know the others better. Of course, I am counting on your impeccable judgement in that direction. Our first class together is flying tomorrow, before dinner. Let's just wait and see what happens there."

They spent the next 15 minutes making small talk and plotting to rule the wizarding world together before Harry removed his device from the table and went down to dinner with Ron. Daphne waited a discrete few minutes before rounding up Tracey, who was flirting with some third years, and heading down to the Great Hall herself.

They passed the evening in the Gryffindor common room, working on homework assignments and roundly abusing Professors Binns and Quirrell. They generally agreed that Flitwick and Sprout were alright. They were, however, reserving judgement on McGonagall. She seemed a bit too strict for most people's taste, but nobody fell asleep in her class and she did seem to know her stuff.

The sun had long since set and it was a beautiful, clear night. Harry and Neville knew that no matter what route they took, the top of the astronomy tower was going to be a long walk. About 8:30, they packed up their work and started toward the distant tower top. The other first years, who had learned by now that Harry did not get lost and was typically first to arrive at the classrooms, noticed the movement and followed the two of them out through the portal.

**Top of the Astronomy Tower**

The Gryffindor first years made a long trek through several secret passages and trudged up about 20 flights of stairs. Finally, they emerged at the top of the tallest tower of the school, into a crystal clear, cool night. From up here, Harry could see for miles in all directions, as far as the mountains on three sides and past the town of Hogsmead toward the sea on the other side. It was plain why the founders had chosen this location. The entire area was defended by natural barriers. With relatively little effort, many square miles could be hidden from muggle eyes and made impenetrable to even the most determined invasion force.

Professor Sinistra was already there and she greeted the Gryffindors as they emerged onto the rooftop. They all had a few minutes to look around before the Hufflepuffs arrived. They did not have Harry to lead them up here and, coming from the area near the kitchens, they had even further to travel. But they did arrive, as a group, still puffing from the long climb up the stairs.

The professor asked the last to emerge to close the door behind him, shutting off the last bit of light from inside the castle. In the distance, Harry could see the light in Hagrid's window go out, leaving them with nothing but the light from the night sky. The stars seemed to be more intense and numerous than Harry could remember ever seeing them. The waning crescent moon did not give much light. The professor set them up in teams to take turns using the telescopes and recording their observations.

With a quick word to Neville, Harry went to the two Hufflepuff girls who were working on their star charts. Presenting himself like he had been taught by Great Aunt Cassiopeia, he greeted them, "Hello, I am Hadrian Potter-Black".

One of the girls who had strawberry blonde hair, said, with a grin on her face, "Yes, we introduced ourselves to you at breakfast on Monday. I am Susan Bones and this is Hannah Abbott. May we call you Harry?"

He smiled warmly, "By all means, Miss Bones. I expect I have leave to address you by your name then?"

Hannah answered this time, "of course you may. May I ask you a question, if you do not mind?"

Harry answered, with his lop-sided grin, "You may always ask, However, I may not always answer".

Hannah asked him, "Where were you all these years? We knew that you had been hidden away from the magical world but nobody knew where. We all grew up reading "the adventures of Harry Potter" but we do not believe that they are really about you. We think that they are just someone's attempt to mint money using your name and teach values like bravery, compassion, friendship, empathy etc. to small children."

Harry had been anticipating the question and knew that the same question would be asked again and again by everyone who became his friend. In a show of goodwill, he would have to say something to them. However, it did not mean that he had to tell them the absolute truth about his whereabouts for the last decade.

Harry gave a genuine smile to them, "I have read those books too. They are a work of fiction, but I could think of worse ways to use my name. As for the rest, I will answer what I can. I was taken out of the cottage at Godric's Hollow and taken to a location which is under the Fidelius Charm and I cannot speak about it. I grew up there with elves and a few relatives on my father's side".

Hannah started to ask, "Do you remember anything about..."

But Susan clamped her mouth shut and said, "Sometimes, her mouth can get the better of her. She does not have a filter on her mouth and just says whatever comes to mind".

Harry nodded. He knew the other girl was going to ask if he remembered anything about that night and the truth was that Harry could not recall anything from that night. He had been so small that it would have been a marvellous feat if he had remembered anything at all. The earliest memories which were present were fuzzy and distorted. They were of a little house with a beefy man and a horse faced woman. He gathered that they must have been his muggle aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon but he had no idea where that place was. It was clear that they were not his parents. He had seen photos of his parents and he had got their best features including the black mop of hair on his head, which was a Potter curse.

Susan asked him, "Did you know that our parents were friends? They were in Hogwarts at the same time and good friends during the war. My auntie was your father's superintendent in the Auror force".

Harry nodded, "Yes, I was told this. If things had been different, we might have grown up together. Did you two girls know each other from before Hogwarts?"

Hannah cheerfully said, "Yes. We have been friends as long as I can remember. Susan's mother was my mother's friend and Aunt Amelia sent her to my house very often considering she had active duty as an Auror during the war and as the Head of the DMLE later".

The three hours went whizzing by, taking turns at the telescope, recording their observations and chit-chatting the whole while. Before they knew it, the professor was asking them to turn in their charts of Saturn with its rings and moons for next class and they were packing up to get to their beds.

Harry had enjoyed his time with Susan and Hannah. Even though he had never met them before Monday morning and had never seen them before Sunday evening, they already felt like old friends. They were friendly and easy to talk with. They would be his way into the Badger's hole and making some more friends there.

His next target was Ravenclaw. He would befriend a couple of them and then they would introduce him to others in the house. The Badgers had been easy to befriend by just being friendly to them and maintaining an air of mysteriousness around himself. By the time first year ended, he would have almost three quarters of the school behind him.

_**A/N- So this is it for this chapter, guys. Well we will see how Hadrain Potter-Black will fare against the Dungeon Bat when he knows about his history with James Potter. Also since the boy has studied potion making before Hogwarts, things will not be the same. Thanks for your lovely reviews. **_

_**Thank you Anarion, fifespice for the appreciation.**_

_**Rebecca: Thank you for the lovely review which you have posted and trust me, he will cause so much waves.**_

_**Debygoebel: thank you for the review. I hope you will like the story as it progresses.**_

_**Mizzrazz- Well, I can't show my hand before time, can I?**_

_**Atmeyer: Thank you for the review. I am glad you like this story. However as we know Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard and know of ancient magics, would it not be better for Harry to ally with the Old Wizard and make use of the opportunity to learn of ancient magics and become powerful?**_

_**Hazeleyes: I loved your review absolutely. I do hope sincerely that this story would keep entertaining you.**_

_**ObsessedwithHPFanFic: I always love your reviews. Keep showing your appreciation.**_

_**THANK YOU HYPERGYM FOR EDITING THIS CHAPTER AND MAKE ME LOOK SMARTER BEFORE THESE FINE PEOPLE.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hogwarts**

Classes on Thursday had been easy for Harry at least with knowing what to expect of the teachers now. Professor Sprout, as was her way, gave them a plant to study and then left them to study its characteristics and make notes on it. They crowded in groups around the plants. This time Harry chose another group. He joined Wayne Hopkins, Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch Fletchley who was a muggle-born and had been selected for Eaton before he got his Hogwarts letter. Since the plant they were supposed to be studying was an ordinary one, there was a lot of small talk during which Ernie managed to invite Harry into a meeting of his circle of friends in the evenings in the library. Harry of course looked for any such invitation and gladly accepted. Wayne Hopkins was a half-blood and a joyous person who liked to crack jokes even if at his own expense. The Herbology class went easy and soon it was time to wrap up their work and go to their next classes. To avoid cleaning and changing into fresh clothes again and again, Harry had looked for and perfected two cleaning spells- Scourgify and Tergio and they swept all dirt off him in a trice.

The next period was Transfiguration which was with the Claws and Professor McGonagall was teaching them to change a matchstick into a needle.

"Today, you will learn how to transfigure a match-stick into a needle. Your task is to change the match-sticks in front of you into needles.". She whipped her wand out and with a flourish of her wand, changed a match-stick into a needle which elicited praise from the students. She started speaking again, "To do this, perform the incantation and imagine the match-stick changing into a needle. Now begin".

Everyone around him was muttering incantations under their breath before they cast. Harry flicked his wand lazily and the matchstick turned into a needle. He turned around to find others were just starting to cast and he sat back watching them. Hermione got her transformation correct on her first try having already practiced the wand-movements before she tried it. Remus had taught him tricks people employed to do things and this was one of them where you memorized everything required for a task before actually performing it. That way it was easy for them to do it and did not require as much time. Ronald was jabbing his wand at the matchstick in frustration trying to get it to transform but it was not happening. Harry noted that he was getting the incantation wrong and his wand movement was slightly off. Neville had done it in two tries and was sitting watching the others. Others were in similar stages of casting.

For this class, he had taken a seat with Padma Patil and Isobel McDougall. They had been successful in making the transformation happen in a couple of tries and were watching others. He turned to say something to Padma but was interrupted by Professor McGonagall, "Mr. Potter-Black, why are you not doing the assignment?"

"I have already finished it, Professor".

She raised an eye-brow at him, "Then maybe you should show me?"

She produced another match-stick for him and Harry casually flicked his wand. She picked up the needle and scrutinized it critically.

"Mr. Potter-Black, this is a very fine piece of Transfiguration. The needle is absolutely steel. Nothing of the wooden texture of the matchstick remains. The work on it is very detailed. With the point being very sharp and I'm sure I could thread the eye. Five points to Gryffindor for such an amazing transfiguration".

As she moved away to talk with others, he turned to Padma again, "Hey, were you not sorted into Gryffindor? Why are you wearing Ravenclaw colors?"

She looked at him incredulously, "Do you honestly not know that I have a twin who was sorted into Gryffindor and lives in the same tower as you do?"

Harry grinned, "Of course I do but there was no other way for me to talk to any of you. You guys do not even deign to speak unless it is very important".

Isobel who was sitting on the other side of Padma said, "And does it befit a gentleman to approach a lady resorting to trickery and without any introduction?"

He tried to assume a haughty expression, "I would not say that the thought did not cross my mind but then I thought of course everybody knows me so I would not need to introduce myself".

The girls chuckled at his posturing and Padma said, "Nice try but you still should have introduced yourself".

Isobel said, "Anyway, I am Isobel McDougall and this is Padma Patil and you of course told us who you are. You may address us by our names".

Just then Professor McGonagall turned up at their table and poured a handful of matchsticks before him. "I can see you have the propensity of your father to cause trouble in class but not here, not in this class. For the rest of this period, keep at transforming these into needles".

Harry pouted while the other girls chuckled. The rest of the period was spent with Harry transfiguring matchsticks into needles and having a word with the girls in between when he was certain that Professor McGonagall was not watching.

As the class ended, Professor McGonagall dismissed them with homework to write two feet of parchment on the assignment for this lesson.

While they were walking to the next class, he was accosted by Hermione. "Harry how did you do that so quickly? I mean I had practiced the wand movement, perfected the incantation but I saw you doing none of that".

Harry took a deep breath before answering her. "Miss Granger, I did not do it the way you do. Everyone has different ways about doing something and I have mine. It is as simple as that".

She asked him again, "Why do you call me Miss Granger? You can call me by my name".

Harry replied, "Miss Granger, I have had some exposure to the Muggle World but my upbringing does not permit me to address you by your given name unless you give me the leave to do so".

She thought over his words for a while frowning and visibly trying to find the logic in his statement before she said, "I do not know what manners you are talking about but you may call me Hermione".

They arrived for Charms and the professor waited for the class to gather before he started speaking.

"All of you have perfected "lumos" and "nox" by now so today we will start a different charm. We are going to learn "incendio" which is a fire making spell. This spell is widely used in a number of things. Even in Herbology, where you do not use many spells, Incendio is taught as a mandatory requirement because there are times when plants have to be destroyed when they attack people and cannot be stopped any other way.

He gave them the incantation and the wand movement and let them practice. Harry dutifully started to cast the charm. Once or twice, Flitwick had to tell him to control his spells. This was new to Harry because he had not heard about it.

"Professor, would you explain to me about controlling my spells?"

The charms Professor contemplated things for a few moments before he started explaining, "Mr. Potter-Black, there are some things which I cannot explain in a class however if you would come to my office this evening at 7:00, I would be happy to help you".

The charms period went quickly with learning the charm. When the class was over, he dismissed them with homework to write an essay about incendio and its uses to be submitted next week.

For lunch this time, he chose the Ravenclaw table. It was a new strategy he had thought to adopt just after the transfiguration class. The rules in 'Hogwarts: A History' said that the students were to sit at their house tables during the start of the year feast and end of the year feast but nothing was said about other times and therefore the students could sit at other tables.

He slipped into a seat beside Terry Boot, extending a hand to him, "Hi, I am Hadrian Potter-Black".

Terry was surprised but covered it up and said to him warmly, "I am Terry Boot".

Terry introduced him to other students in Ravenclaw in their year. Of those, he noticed Su Li who never said anything but kind of existed in the background, Mandy Brocklehurst who was a shy girl but fun to be around when she opened up to others, Lisa Turpin who was very frank and warm to others, Anthony Goldstein who was a very reserved person usually, Stephen Cornfoot who was the son of Squibs on both sides of the family and liked to experiment with magic, Michael Corner who he found was jovial and liked pranks and Oliver Rivers who just grunted a greeting to him before turning to food.

Lisa Turpin asked him, "What brings you here, Potter-Black?"

Harry gave her his lop-sided grin. "Please call me Harry, Miss Turpin. I wish people to count me as their friend As such, there is no reason to stand on formalities among us. As to what brings me here, I am trying to make friends in all houses. Who knows who I might need to do some pranks in the castle?"

Michael laughed, "I knew I like this guy. Tell you what, Harry if you want some help for a prank, you are always welcome to ask. If I cannot help, I am sure Lisa would extend a helping hand".

Lisa concurred. "I would love to do something like that. As it is, things are very boring in the Eagle's nest and please call me Lisa".

Harry smiled, "I believe we can look forward to many adventures together, Lisa".

After lunch, the most anticipated moment of the day had arrived- The flying lessons. Harry had heard boasts from many of his friends about their flying prowess and things they did on a broom and was bored. When someone asked him, he told them that Lord Black did not allow him a broom saying he deserved to ride a hippogriff or a thestral or one of those flying horses. Harry really had lessons in flying for a year after Lord Black had taken him out of Muggle primary. He told them that Lord Black thought brooms were for the immature. Of course it was a lie that he could not fly a broom and no one except Neville knew it but all the same it saved him from a lot of haranguing from others about his experiences. He had heard enough from others as it was. Even Malfoy had been heard boasting about flying on his broom and escaping Muggles in Helicopters as if he could escape from getting prosecuted for violating the Statute of Secrecy. Ronald too had boasted about flying in his family orchard on his brother's brooms.

As the lesson came near and near, Hermione was reciting facts from Quidditch through the Ages and giving tips about flying to those who would listen. Harry realized that it was her way to calm her nerves because she was freaked out about flying.

Neville had been on a broom several times but he still had problems getting a broom to obey his will. They had tried flying on the grounds of the Black Castle and after a couple of accidents he had finally learned to fly but had not perfected his mounting technique.

During lunch, Neville's owl landed before him bringing him a small parcel from his grandmother. There was a glass ball in it and a packet of candies for Harry from his Gran Augusta (she insisted that he called her Gran whenever he had visited Longbottom Manor).

Neville showed him the glass-ball with a poker face expression.

Harry had to suppress a laugh. "I never thought that she would actually send you a remembrall, mate. I never realized that she was taking those things seriously. You do not have a problem remembering things anymore, do you?"

Neville had a habit of misplacing things or tended to be lazy at times in remembering instructions Augusta had given him. He also would forget things but that was cured when he had learned Occlumency from his Great Uncle Algie. Augusta used to threaten to send him a Remembrall for all the troubles that Neville gave her. Now she had actually sent one.

Neville shook his head, "I do not forget things anymore, Harry. She is just taking the mickey out of me".

Since they were supposed to be going down to flying lessons, they grouped together and went down to the Quidditch pitch where the Slytherins had already arrived. They all stood together when Madam Hooch came walking down the pitch and said good afternoon to the gathered students which they returned enthusiastically.

She surveyed the students for a few moments, taking stock of them before she started her lesson. She pulled two shrunken sacks out of her robes and enlarging them, she pulled out brooms which looked like they were new. She lined them up in two lines facing each other.

"Welcome to flying class. Here I will teach you all to fly properly on a broom. Now each one of you will stand beside a broom, hover your right hand over it and firmly say up. I do not expect any student to have trouble with calling their brooms to them because these brooms are new and the charms worked into them should work well".

Everyone said the incantation at the same time and the brooms responded differently to each one. Harry's broom zoomed to his hand with a resounding smack as he closed his hand around the handle. Neville's just squirmed on the ground. Hermione's refused to move. Ronald did not anticipate his broom responding so quickly and it smacked him in the face. Malfoy was also hit in the shoulder but by the looks of it, it was not very painful for him.

After every one had their broom in their hand, Hooch gave the next instructions. "Now thump the ground hard with your foot and take off. Start slowly and increase acceleration steadily. Too quickly and you will lose control".

Harry had not realized how jumpy Neville had been. Before Madam Hooch could ask them to start ascending, he was already leaving the ground. Madam Hooch tried to stop him, . She called him back and he slowed down but forgot a part of the flying lessons about leaning forward to turn his broom downwards. As a result, he fell and crumpled to the ground. While he had not fallen from too great a height, with the way he was wincing Harry was sure that he had broken a bone or two. Madam Hooch cast a few spells at his hand and realized that he had broken his wrist. As she started toward the infirmary with him, she warned the students to stay on the ground until she returned or the one to do that would be expelled.

Harry was concerned for his friend but heard some snickering and turned to find Malfoy picking up a glass ball from the ground and showing it to his friends. He realized it was Neville's Remembrall which must have fallen from his pocket. Malfoy was saying to his friends, "Did you see his face? If he had this in his pocket he would have remembered to lean forward to come down".

Harry shouted at him, You will return that Malfoy if you know what is good for you".

Draco sneered, "No, I think I will put it somewhere he can't find it".

Malfoy took to the skies taunting him, "What's wrong Potter? Too high for you?"

Harry knew he should not fly after him but the blood was pounding in his ears and he wanted to teach Malfoy a lesson. He kicked off hard and flew after Malfoy determined to show up the blond ponce. Malfoy's facial expressions were worth watching. It looked like he had not expected Harry to come after him and without his lackeys to back him up, he was looking for a way to escape. Harry could tell that he was not comfortable facing him alone.

He gave an evil smirk to him, "What's wrong, Malfoy? Not so brave without your lackeys here to back you up? Give me the Remembrall back and I might spare you".

Malfoy threw the Remembrall away with all his might and it soared into the air. Without a thought, Harry raced after it, planning to snatch it out of the air. He willed his broom to go at top speed and it flew making him revel in the exhilaration of the air whipping through his hair and whooped at the top of his voice. The Remembrall was freely falling towards the ground and he dived after it trying to grab it before he injured himself. A few feet above the ground, he finally caught it in his hand and pulled out of the dive before he plowed into the ground. He managed to level off with less than a foot to spare, narrowly avoiding serious injury or death and flew back to join the other students. He dismounted and was mobbed by his friends who were thumping him on the back, shaking his hand while Malfoy was getting green with envy.

"HARRY POTTER!", Professor McGonagall's voice cut through the air and he found her coming towards them at a dead run, clutching her chest. She said between gasps, "never... in all my years... No first year... "

After she was able to control her breathing, she pursed her lips in a thin line and said, "Follow me".

Ron said, "But Professor, Malfoy provoked him".

"Be quiet, Mr. Weasley. I am sure that he can speak for himself if he wish to".

Parvati put her two knuts in, "Professor, he was just retrieving Neville's Remembrall".

McGonagall glared at her making her stop. She pointed at Harry to follow her through the castle up and down through the corridors. Harry knew that the rules were pretty tough and if the authorities were bent on it, they could expel him. But having heard of the mischief students had been up to in the previous years, he knew he would get off very easily. She led him to the Charms classroom where she peeped in and said to the tiny charms master, "Professor Flitwick, can I borrow Wood for a minute?"

Wood? Was she going to punish him? Harry thought of all the scenarios that could have happened and none of them were to his liking however Wood turned out to be a burly fifth year boy who looked as surprised as Harry felt. She pointed at Wood to follow her and led them to a deserted classroom. Peeves was in the classroom writing rude words on the blackboard and she barked at him, "Out, Peeves".

He blew a raspberry at her before tossing the chalk to the desk and floated through the wall. After making sure that they were alone, Professor McGonagall turned to Wood, "Wood, here is your new seeker".

Harry arched an eye-brow at her as Wood asked, "Are you serious, Professor?"

She turned to Harry, "Potter-Black, meet Oliver Wood. Wood is captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team". She turned to Wood, "He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty foot dive and did not even sustain a scratch over it. Not even legendary Charlie Weasley could have done that".

Harry of course knew about Charlie Weasley by reputation. He was touted to be so good that people thought he could have gone on to play for England if he did not go chasing Dragons in Romania.

Professor McGonagall was asking, "Was that your first time on a broom, Potter-Black?"

Harry knew there was no reason to lie anymore nor there was the need to. He gave her his best lop-sided grin, "I have ridden a broom stick ever since I could walk though I would confess that it was not a racing broom".

Wood was delighted hearing that and was bouncing on the balls of his feet, examining Harry and muttering, "Short and sleek. Just the thing a seeker needs. We will have to get him a racing broom Professor and I do not need to remind you that a first year cannot be on the team. Merlin knows we need someone good on our team".

She sighed, "Yes, I will talk to Professor Dumbledore and see if something can be done about it. We need to win the cup this time. Heaven knows we need a better team this year. Flattened in that last match with Slytherin and I was not able to face Professor Snape for weeks".

Wood turned to Harry, "Come see me this evening after dinner, Potter-Black. We will need to see what you can do".

Harry knew he had an engagement with Professor Flitwick to keep and said the same to Wood who looked like he wanted to say something but then acquiesced, "Then we will meet tomorrow evening. Keep it between us until I have had the chance to test you".

Harry nodded. That was perfect for him not having to tout his feats before the school.

As Harry returned to the Common Room, Neville accosted him, "What happened? What did Professor McGonagall say?"

He winked at him without others noticing and said rather loudly for benefit of others, "She warned me not to indulge in any more rule-breaking or she would have to take points off me or detention".

Some others protested that this was not fair but Harry could not care less. He dragged Neville to the library knowing Daphne would be there waiting to hear about his story. They found her at a table in the back sitting by herself already reading for the homework this week. He placed the contraption on the table and activated it with a tap of his wand. After he was sure that the wards were up, Daphne turned to him, "So what happened? Did you fall from grace even before you achieved it?"

Harry grinned, "Hardly. She took me to the Gryffindor Quidditch captain who wants me on the team as Seeker. Professor McGonagall is going to speak to Professor Dumbledore about making an exception to the rules so that I can be on the team".

Daphne mock scowled, "All the preferential treatment to the great Hadrian Potter-Black of course. What else did she promise you? Separate living quarters, perhaps?"

Harry grinned, "Hardly. Now you tell me what is happening in the Serpent's Pit?"

She eyed him assessing him. "The serpents do not mingle much with anyone except their friends. The senior years only bow to those who are beyond reproach to them or are on higher social standing than them. I spoke with a few of them while a couple of them are warming up to Malfoy, though I do believe that is not because of him but rather his father's reputation".

The rest of the lesson was spent with studying for the homework assignments. As it neared 7:00, he took his leave of the two to go to Flitwick.

Professor Flitwick welcomed him joyously, "Welcome Mr. Potter-Black. Please take a seat".

Harry took a seat and made himself comfortable. The charms professor eyed him for few seconds before he started speaking, "Mr. Potter-Black, every wizard when he turns 11 has to go through assessment of his magical core and the amount of power he has. The wizarding power index measures their power and ranks them according to their power. A muggle would be measured 0 while anyone with power below 20 is a squib. From 20 to 70 is a wizard who cannot perform the more complicated spells or perform those which require more power. Above 70 to 150 is what we would consider ordinary wizards. Above 150 to 220 is a sorcerer; above 220 to 350 is Grand Sorcerer, above 350 to 500 is a warlock, above 500 to 750 is a mage. Above 750 to 1,000 lies the Grand Mage. Anything above 1000 is an arche-mage. You, like others were measured for your power when you turned 11. You measured at 60 already meaning you are nearly as powerfull as an adult average wizard. By the time you finish maturing, your power will be well beyond the level for an average witch or wizard".

Harry's curiosity was piqued, "What does that mean, Professor?"

"That means you will be a Grand Sorcerer by the time that your magical core reaches maturity. About the same power range as Albus Dumbledore and you-know-who, two of the most powerful wizards of modern times. When a normal wizard uses 'incendio' it produces a jet of fire but if someone as powerful as you uses 'incendio' with all your power, it is like an inferno, bright and fiery. Since using magic taxes our core, putting too much power in your spells would cause you to magically exhaust yourself quickly".

"And how do I control it, Professor?"

"Do you know of Occlumency, Mr. Potter-Black?"

"Yes sir. Lord Black was most insistent that I learn occlumency once I turned 8 because it is a useful skill to have".

The charms professor smiled, "Good. For Occlumency, you need to clear your mind and control your emotions. Likewise, you need to concentrate on what you want your spell to do when you are casting it. For example, you imagine fire coming out as a jet of fire rather than a raging inferno and your magic will do your bidding. For now, you need to control the power in your spells by doing the Occlumency exercises and concentrating on controlling your emotions and how much power you want to use in your spells".

**The next day**

Harry arrived at the breakfast table in anticipation of the day. Today they had only one class- double Potions with the Slytherins. He had been waiting to see Snape for himself and see what kind of man he was. He knew that his father had a long standing history with the hook-nosed teacher and the potions master had never let go of the grudges between them. It seemed to only get worse when Lily stopped speaking to him after he called her an interfering mud-blood.

As they were taking their breakfast, Hedwig landed before him with a letter in her talons. He knew of no one who would write a letter to him today. Lord Black and Moony would have been busy with the preparations for Sirius's trial tomorrow and he would be meeting them anyway.

He took the letter and opened it. It turned out it was from Hagrid.

_"Harry_

_My name is Hagrid and I am the groundskeeper and keeper of the keys. I was a friend to your mum and dad when they were at school. I know you have no classes after lunch today so I would be delighted if you can come by for some tea this afternoon._

_Hagrid"_

Harry showed the letter to Neville who nodded that it would not be amiss to meet the big man. He looked like a good man anyway. Harry scratched his reply on the back of the letter and sent it to Hagrid with Hedwig.

When they reached the Potions class room and had taken their seats, Snape entered the dungeons sneering, his cloak billowing behind him. He also called the students from the register and his lips curled when he called Harry's name, "Ah yes. Hadrian Potter-Black, our new- celebrity".

Harry glared at him and as they locked eyes, Harry could feel a light intrusion in his mind. Hary concentrated and smacked the potion master's head against the walls of his outer defenses a few times before tossing him out of his mind. Snape's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he recovered his senses and placed the sneer back on his face. Harry knew that casting legilimency on a minor without permission of a parent or guardian was not legal. But only active legilimency could be proved because passive legilimency did not use a wand.

After he finished taking attendance, he looked at each of the students in the class. His eyes were as black as Hagrid's but there was no warmth in them. They rather looked cold and empty and devoid of any emotion and would make one think of black tunnels.

"You are here to learn the delicate science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper but they caught every word. He had the gift of keeping a class silent with a word like Professor McGonagall. "As there is little foolish wand-waving, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its simmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach".

Everyone was turning his words in their mind and weighing the truth behind them. For the first impression, it seemed he had captivated the class.

"Potter-Black", he suddenly said. "What will I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to infusion of wormwood?"

Harry knew the plants that he had asked about. Being friends with Longbottom and spending considerable time in Green Houses certainly prepared him for it.

Hermione had raised her hand as Harry knew she would however he also knew that Snape would not ask her to answer his questions.

Harry calmly replied, "Sir, this is not covered in our first year text. However, it would make a sleeping potion so powerful it is called the Draught of Living Death. A drop of well brewed Draught of Living Death can put a person into an enchanted sleep for months".

Snape's facial expressions were comical. It looked like he was trying to swallow something which was stuck in his throat. He asked another question, "What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

Hermione was positively jumping on the balls of her feet now raising her hand in the air but Snape was resolutely ignoring her. Harry answered again, "They are the same thing, Professor and are also known as Aconite, an important ingredient in the wolfsbane potion".

Snape looked positively infuriated now. It was clear that he did not expect Harry to know these answers to his questions. Instead of humiliating the boy in front of the entire class, Harry was making him look like the bully he was. He tried one more time, "Where would you find a bezoar?"

Hermione was standing now raising her hand and trying not to speak. He replied cheekily, "In this room, I would expect that one can find a bezoar in the store cupboard, Professor but otherwise a bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat. It is a primary ingredient in the antidotes to most poisons and can, by itself, neutralize most of them. Also, if you would not mind, professor, Hermione would be willing to answer any more questions you have. I am sure that other students would be feeling left out if you pay too much personal attention to me".

The other students were shocked at his behavior while a few were trying to suppress laughter from erupting. Snape sneered at him, "One point from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter-Black".

Harry shrugged but said nothing. He had expected something like this to happen.

Snape turned to the other students, "Why are you all not writing it down?"

Everyone rushed to write what they were just told while he flicked his wand at the board and instructions appeared on it. He said to them, "You will be brewing the cure for boils which is a rather simple potion. You have an hour. You may begin".

Harry was flabbergasted. When he had his beginner's lessons with his tutor, the tutor had not allowed him to brew anything before he had thoroughly hammered into his mind all the basics of potion brewing. This included things like the importance of clean equipment, the need to chop ingredients in fine and uniform pieces, the need to measure things in precise amounts, the importance of following steps in brewing. And here Snape was just pushing them into brewing without telling them anything.

He raised his hand and Snape asked him, "What is the problem, Potter-Black?"

"Professor, many of the students are muggle-born who have never even heard of potions and even a few purebloods have not been taught the basics of the art of potion making. How you can expect us to brew a perfect potion without imparting to us the basics eludes me".

Snape looked like he was ready to breathe fire and gritted his teeth, "Are you teaching the class or me? If you think you know so well then why don't you instruct the class in potion brewing? That is one more point from Gryffindor for your cheek. You are like your father, an arrogant rule-breaker who thought the world was beneath him".

Harry's blood boiled at the insults made about his father. He seriously considered going to the front of the class and giving the students in the fundamentals of potion brewing. He knew he could do a better job than this bullying, slimy git. But before he could say anything, Neville kicked him beneath the table and gestured for him to keep quiet. Harry knew that bantering with Snape was useless because it would just lead to more lost points and quite likely detention. He would have to go to Dumbledore.

As the students worked on potions, Snape prowled the Dungeon. Harry was sitting with Ron and Neville on either side of him and had no problem working on the easy potion which he had perfected at the age of eight. After he was done, he kept instructing his friends under his breath and saved them from making mistakes. Neville was going to add Porcupine Quills before taking the cauldron off the fire and Harry kicked him under the table hissing, "Oi mate! Are you an idiot? If you add porcupine quills now, your cauldron will melt down instantly with an explosion. Take it off of the fire first".

Neville gave him a sheepish grin and took the cauldron off the fire before he added the porcupine quills. After they were done, he bottled two samples of his potion and slipped one into his robes while he labelled the other and handled it to Snape who begrudgingly accepted it.

**Hagrid's hut**

Harry arrived at Hagrid's hut with Neville and Ron in tow. Neville because he was there when Harry had sent his acceptance and they were inseparable. Ron because he had taken to following Harry wherever he went.

As Harry neared the gamekeeper's hut, Hagrid saw him and said in his booming voice, 'Harry, yeh came! Welcome".

Harry followed Hagrid into the hut with his friends close behind. Inside was a massive boar-hound, black like the night and very docile. Hagrid introduced him, "This is Fang. Looks frightening but won't hurt a fly".

The boarhound put his massive head in Harry's lap and sat down contentedly. Harry introduced the other two, "These are my friends- Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley".

Hagrid warmly greeted them. He said to Neville, "So, you are Frank and Alice's kid! They were extremely popular in their day and good friends of mine. Many times helped me to catch the marauders in their pranks". To Ronald he said, "I spent half my life chasing your twin brothers out of the forbidden forest. Hope you do not take after them".

As he served them tea and rock cakes, he said to Harry, "Harry, I needed to say something to yeh. That day I was the one to pick you from the ruins of the cottage. Your parents were good friends of me. Head boy and Head Girl in their time and brilliant wizard and witch. I went on Dumbledore's orders to pick you up and met Sirius Black who wanted to take you. I was under orders to bring you to yer uncle and aunt. Later I heard that Sirius was arrested and I believed that he had betrayed yer parents. I am ashamed to confess how wrong I was".

Harry listened to his apology and realized that perhaps more people would apologize once the news of Sirius's innocence came out.

He noticed a copy of today's Daily prophet lying on the table in Hagrid's cabin and a piece of news caught his attention. The news was about a theft from a vault at Gringotts or rather an attempt at theft. The spokes-goblin claimed that the said vault had been emptied earlier that day. He knew from his own experience how secure a Gringotts vault was. To break into one and escape unscathed was no ordinary feat.

Neville who was also looking at the news mused, "It must have been a wizard adept at dark magic to break into the vault and escape. I wonder what was so important that they would risk their lives".

Ron speculated, "Perhaps Mountains of gold or some rare and powerful artefact".

Harry asked Hagrid, "What do you think it might be Hagrid?"

"It must have been something important to be kept there. However you lot does not need to worry about it. It has been long since removed and..." he clamped his mouth shut and muttered under his breath, "should not have said that... should not have said that..."

After that Harry and others tried to make him speak but the grounds keeper did not tell them anything more. One thing however was clear. Whatever had been in the vault at Gringotts had been moved and now was being kept in a location which was safer than that. It was something worth pondering but not pursuing.

As they returned from Hagrid's, Harry had some time on his hands before he went to speak to Wood on the Quidditch pitch. He took the path to Dumbledore's office and hoping that the password was the same, he said to the Gargoyle, "Lemon Drops".

The gargoyle leapt aside and he took the revolving staircase to the Headmaster's office. As he reached the door and was about to knock on it, a soft "Enter" was heard and the door opened inwards.

"Harry!" Dumbledore beamed at him. "Come in, my boy. I was about to send for you".

"Me? Has something happened Headmaster?"

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, "Nothing as such. Lord Black has just sent me a letter asking me to give you leave for tomorrow to go to the Wizengamot to watch the trial of Sirius Black. I told him that I will be bringing you with me to the Wizengamot. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course Professor" Harry replied smiling, "However that is not the reason that I am here".

"Then what brings you here, my boy?"

"Headmaster, today I had my first class in Potions with Professor Snape, who loathes me. I know something of his history with my father. But that is no excuse for venting his old grudges on me. He attempted to embarrass me by asking me questions about things that are not taught until 2nd year at least. Then, even though I answered his questions correctly, he docked points from Gryffindor "for cheek" he said. A couple of points off my house would not be a big deal and I would not have bothered you for such a trivial matter. What really concerns me is that he set us to brew potions without bothering to teach the basics. When I pointed this out, he deducted another point. I had to intervene a few times to prevent explosions".

"Those are very grave charges, Harry. Would you allow me to see the memory of the class?"

"Gladly Professor" he said and putting his wand to his temple, he pulled out a glittering silver thread which Dumbledore took from him and deposited in the Pensieve. He entered to watch the memory and emerged 10 minutes later looking angry. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he addressed Harry again, "Harry, I am sorry that you had to face this. I return the points deducted by him and give you 10 points for the correct answers. Rest assured that I will address this. Also, please present yourself at my office at 9:30 in the morning so that we can go to the trial".

**Quidditch Pitch**

Harry met Oliver Wood at the Quidditch pitch after dinner. Oliver arrived after 20 minutes lugging a crate which he placed on the ground and kicked open. Inside were the four balls used in Quidditch.

First, he held up a red ball, about the size of a muggle foot-ball, saying, "This is the Quaffle. There are three chasers on each team. It is their job to put this ball through the other team's goal hoops", he finished, gesturing at the three golden hoops which resembled muggle bubble blowing wands, about 50 feet high at one end of the pitch. "Each time they manage it, they earn ten points for their team. The keeper's job is to stop them from doing that".

Wood placed the red ball back in the crate. Then he handed Harry a bat which resembled a muggle cricket bat, but scaled down a bit. He gestured at two black balls that seemed to be struggling to get free of their restraints in the crate. They were slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. He said, "Those are Bludgers. It's their job to knock as many players off their brooms as they can. Each team has two beaters. They use bats like the one I just handed you to knock the Bludgers away from their own players and towards the players on the other team. I want you to stand back a few paces and stand ready with that bat. I'm going to release one of these so that you can see what it does".

Harry stepped back a few paces and brandished the bat in both hands. When Wood saw that he was ready, he released one of the black balls. With a snarl and a whoosh, the ball made straight for Harry's face with a speed that surely would have meant a visit to Madame Pomphrey. Harry smacked the ball with the bat and sent it sailing out over the Quidditch pitch. Wood whistled, "You might make a fine beater..." It looped around of its own accord and made for Wood. He tackled the ball as it came to him and he wrestled it back into the crate.

"Nasty they are!", said Wood between gritted teeth as he fastened the black ball beside its twin in the crate. "Have you got it so far, Harry?"

Harry asked, "Has anyone ever been killed by one of those things?"

Wood said, "There have been injuries. I think a broken jaw was the worst of it. But, nobody at Hogwarts has been killed by a Bludger yet."

Harry said, "OK, the red one is the quaffle. Chasers try to get it in the goal. Keepers try to stop that from happening. The black ones are bludgers. They move by themselves and try to knock people off their brooms. The beaters try to bat them away from their team and towards the other team".

"Perfect" said Wood. Then he pulled on a pair of gloves and took the fourth ball out of the crate, holding the golden ball, slightly larger than a wallnut tightly as its silver wings struggled to take flight, "And for you, my friend, this is the Golden Snitch. It will be your job as seeker to find and capture this ball. When the Snitch is captured, the game is over and the seeker who catches it wins 150 points for their team, which means that the seeker who catches it almost always wins the game for their team. This is also why the seeker is the most often fowled player. If they can take the seeker out and the team has no back-up, they can be pretty sure of winning the game.

Wood asked him, "Have you ever seen a Quidditch match, Harry?"

Harry responded enthusiastically, "I've been to a few championship games. I even got to watch Canada versus Scotland at the World Cup last summer. I was rooting for Scotland and they did really well, but the Scottish Seeker missed his catch by millimeters and the Canadian Seeker got the Snitch and it was all over for Scotland".

Oliver Wood was visibly impressed with Harry's knowledge. He loaned his broom (a Comet 10) to Harry to fly around and show his prowess at flying. Harry was a prodigious flyer and impressed him with his speed and skill. Oliver dismissed him with instructions to meet up next week for team practice and to get his own broom to the school.

**Headmaster's office**

It was early Saturday morning. Dumbledore was in his office working on some reports before he was scheduled to go to the Wizengamot when he heard the floo roaring and spotted Remus's head in the fire.

"Headmaster may I come aboard?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Of course my boy".

As Remus came into the office, he dusted the soot off his clothes and took a seat on the other side of the table. The old wizard was watching him expectantly with his eyes twinkling softly, "What brings you here, Remus?"

"Headmaster, I am here to escort Harry to the trial today".

Dumbledore arched an eye-brow, "I do not get it. What is your connection to Lord…?"

His words trailed off as he made the connection which had been missing. The way Harry had hugged the werewolf, the way he had come with Lord Black to his office, the way he had got hold of the picture so easily all made sense to him now. Remus Lupin was the one who had removed Harry from the muggle home all those years ago. This also explained why he was not able to locate the werewolf since then. Not that he had tried too hard to find him because he did not even suspect that Remus might have been linked with Harry's disappearance.

Remus was smirking. "I see you have made the connection finally, headmaster. After that fateful night, I stopped venturing out. I fell off the deep end, finding solace in fire whiskey and doing hand to mouth jobs. One day, an elf found me, captured me and took me to Lord Black. He talked with me, made me feel ashamed of myself for neglecting the one who was really my responsibility. He offered me a job, an unlimited supply of wolfsbane and a chance to raise Harry as heir of House Black. That was the best offer that I could get and I took it. I was appalled when I learned that you had sent Harry to live with Petunia. She hated Lily with every fiber of her being and abhorred magic. Did not someone tell you this all those years ago? I wanted to find you and give you an earful but I had to find Harry. When I found him, he was filthy, his face was bruised and swollen from a recent slap and he was covered in grime. I could not leave him there in all honesty".

Dumbledore took a deep breath before he started saying, "First I want to apologize to you, my boy. I never sought to keep track of you after the war. As the war was declared over, we all started to rebuild and have some semblance of normalcy among ourselves that I forgot that you had suffered the worst with losing all your friends in one stroke. I had to keep Harry with them because I did not have access to James and Lily's will. There was no better protection than the blood wards that I could manage. I had not expected her to show no empathy towards Harry who was her sister's son. I had hoped that he would find happiness there and grow up to be a fine young man. After you removed him from there, I was alerted about his disappearance by Arabella Figg who lives down the lane and when they said that they did not know anything about his disappearance, I performed Legilimency on them and what I saw horrified me. Sufficient to say that they have paid for their errors since then. Now I was about to summon Harry to go to the Ministry. Would you like some breakfast before we go?"

Remus nodded and Dumbledore called the chief elf to bring breakfast for two and to send a missive to Professor McGonagall to send Hadrian Potter-Black up to his office after he had his breakfast.

After a big and hearty breakfast, Professor McGonagall asked Harry to report to the office of the Headmaster who wished to talk about something with him. His friends fretted a little but he assured them that he would be okay and whispered to Neville to let Daphne know that he was going to the Ministry.

He entered the Headmaster's office to find Remus Lupin there sitting in a chair opposite Dumbledore. He ran to him and engulfed him in his arms, laughing. Dumbledore chuckled at the display, gladdened that Harry had been removed from the Dursleys because he was still appalled by the way they had treated Harry. They had been prosecuted and sentenced to 5 years of Imprisonment for child abuse. Vernon's son Dudley had been sent to his sister Marge to foster. Dumbledore informed the judge, who was a squib, that Harry had been removed and placed with a wizarding family where he would be cared for properly and raised as a wizard.

As Harry settled down from his enthusiasm, he asked Remus, "What are you doing here Moony?"

"Lord Black wanted me to come personally and escort you to the hearing. He says that since it is a Saturday, you can stay at the townhouse today and tomorrow and visit Sirius in St. Mungo's and get to know him a little. Since Sirius has been brought to St. Mungo's, he has been impatient to see you and even tried to fight with the healers to get them to release him".

Harry turned to the Headmaster, "Am I allowed to leave the school for the weekend, Headmaster?"

"Of course my boy. I would not deny you this small happiness. You will return to the school Monday morning though with a one-time floo connection to the Deputy Head Mistress's office".

Harry asked Remus, "How are we going to the Wizengamot?"

It was Dumbledore who replied, "You are going to floo from here to the Chief Warlock's chambers in the Wizengamot. From there, Remus will escort you to the spectator stands. After the trial is over, you will be allowed to go with Lord Black".

He threw a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace and called, "Ministry of Magic, Chief Warlock's office". Harry followed him with Remus bringing up the rear. Harry had trouble travelling by Floo when he was little and more often than not, he had ended up on his face before Lord Black had taken pity on him and told him the trick behind magical travel. Since then, he had a lot of experience and now could make a dignified exit out of a fire place.

**Ministry of Magic**

The chamber of the Chief Warlock was tastefully decorated with a big table in the middle of the room covered with books, quills and parchments. There were seats surrounding the table. Harry and Remus took seats at the other side of the table waiting for the time to go down to the Wizengamot. The walls of the room were covered with portraits of previous Chief Warlocks or wizards of prominence and at the moment, they all seemed to be sleeping in their portraits but for all Harry knew, they could be feigning sleep.

Amelia Bones entered after sometime and when she saw Harry, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good, you are here. I have kept the purpose of today's emergency session away from Fudge because he could have caused some mischief. But, this morning I had to brief him as is the norm and he has been trying to delay or postpone the meeting anyway he can. No doubt, Malfoy is pulling his strings. If you do not mind, Mr. Potter-Black, would you please address the Wizengamot and request that this trial happens?"

Harry gave her a formal bow and gave her a smirk, "Of course, Madam Bones. I sure can be the helpless innocent child with an impassioned plea to see justice being done at last so that he can have some semblance of peace about the death of his parents. Would that help?"

She returned his smirk with one of her own, "If you will pull it off as beautifully as you just demonstrated, I have no doubt that the Wizengamot will be eating out of your hand in no time".

Soon it was time and Remus led him to the spectator stand before the first of the Lords started trickling in. He took a seat in the front row and waited as seats around them filled. Remus sat by his side and they kept themselves aloof of everyone around them with their attention on the trial to come.

At 10:00 Dumbledore rapped his gavel and boomed, "Close the doors".

The massive doors to the Wizengamot swung shut and he started again, "Welcome to the emergency session of the Wizengamot for the month of September in the year 1991. Madam Bones has called this meeting to discuss a subject of importance which merits to be decided lest we allow injustice to prevail. Madam Bones, the floor is yours".

Amelia Bones rose from her seat and started addressing the Wizengamot, "Lords and Ladies, ten years ago after the war ended, the war tribunal was constituted to deal with war criminals. One law abiding wizard had been arrested and sent to Azkaban directly without any trial in gross violation of the principles of justice. Before his incarceration, the gravest charge against him was brawling in the Three Broom Sticks inn after getting drunk. I am talking about Sirius Orion Black who was the heir of Black at that time".

She produced a stack of parchments which she banished towards Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, these are copies of the record of incarceration of Sirius Black who was directly sent to prison in violation of the principles of justice. He was not given a trial but sent to Azkaban directly on the orders of the War Tribunal".

Dumbledore distributed the copies to the gathered Lords and ladies and the department heads. One of these was Barty Crouch Senior who was head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation and had headed the DMLE during the last war. he along with the Minister and the Head of Aurors had signed the orders to take Sirius to Azkaban.

As the members of the Wizengamot were reading the parchments distributed to them, Fudge stood, "I object to this. Sirius Black was the secret keeper of the Potters and killed Peter Pettigrew with those muggles. This trial is a farce of justice and a waste of our time".

Dumbledore turned to him, "Minister Fudge, if you will keep your peace for a few minutes, I am sure we can find out what new evidence has come to light and determine his guilt accordingly".

Fudge, who looked like he was not going to hear anything contrary to his views, ranted, "No. I will not allow this farce to continue. The time of the Wizengamot is too valuable to be wasted like this".

It was then that Harry understood he needed to stand and present his plea to the Wizengamot to effectively shut down the minister. As chief Warlock and chairman of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore could have ruled Fudge out of order and ended his tirade immediately, but, Such a thing was not typically done to the Minister and it was time to employ more subtle means. Fudge would be dealt with later. For now, it was time to get attention to the trial.

He stood and faced Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, if it pleases these august chambers, may I address this gathering as a relative of the people killed allegedly due to betrayal of the person concerned?".

Fudge sneered, "And who might you be?"

Harry gave him a hesitant smile as if he was intimidated by the setting of the Wizengamot, "I am Hadrian James Potter-Black, Heir of Potter and Black".

Lucius Malfoy immediately stood up, "How dare you claim the title of the heir of Black?"

"Shut up, you overgrown fool," a harsh voice growled from somewhere among the gathered Lords and everyone turned to find Lord Arcturus Orion Black sitting in the seat for House Black. He growled at Lucius, "Hadrian Potter- Black is the heir of The House of Black as recognized by the Lord and the family magic".

Lucius bowed to him, "Lord Black, where have you been? We were concerned with your well-being for the past decade and are delighted to see you among us again".

Arcturus barked, "Keep your slimy tongue behind your teeth, you slimy fool. I know of you and your likes. I am not fooled by you". He turned to Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, who has been acting as Regent of House Black all these years?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Lord Lucius Malfoy was appointed the Regent of House Black by the minister in 1982".

Arcturus turned to Fudge, "You overgrown monkey, how dare you usurp the rights of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses? Who gave you the authority to act in my stead and appoint a regent for my house? I will have your head for this for contravention of the ancient laws. No Malfoy will ever become a head of House for the House of Black".

Fudge was shaking in his boots. The secret that they had kept all these years was out now and the way the lords and ladies were glaring at him, he was surprised that he did not die from their glare.

Harry who was watching the spectacle unfold whispered to Remus, "Moony, who has been acting as Regent for House Potter since the death of my father?"

"I have had the opportunity to ask around since I have returned and it came to my knowledge that Elphias Doge who is a good friend to Dumbledore was appointed as regent and has been performing those duties. I met him a few days ago and he will happily give up the seat to your regent".

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Lord Black, the matter of the minister usurping the rights of your house can be dealt with in another sitting however we should focus on the matters at hand. Hadrian Potter-Black has asked our leave to address these chambers. Do you all agree?"

Almost everyone's wand tip lighted Green meaning they all assented to hear him out. They all wanted to see for themselves if there was something special about the boy-who-lived or his talents were exaggerated. Dumbledore turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter-Black, you may address the chamber. You have 5 minutes".

"Thank you, Chief Warlock,' Harry bowed to Dumbledore and turned to the Wizengamot in general. He adopted the most innocent look he could manage, his face creased with lines of fear, hesitation and his eyes showing concern.

"Dear Lords and Ladies. I know that it is unusual for me to speak before you all who are more experienced, learned and have knowledge of the nuances and niceties of these august chambers and the procedures connected with them. Circumstances require me to make this request before your eminent personalities. As everyone knows, I am the son of James and Lily Potter. The man who is supposed to be put on trial today was charged with betraying them to the wizard known as Voldemort (almost everyone shuddered or gasped or yelped). I know that the man on trial today was incarcerated on those charges but after what Madam Bones has said, I must know if an innocent person has been languishing in Azkaban while the real culprit has roamed free."

"I implore you all respected Lords and Ladies to hear the evidence and ensure that justice is not only done but that it is seen to be done by this august body. If we stifle the process of justice in these chambers, how can we expect that justice will be served anywhere else? I implore you all in the name of my dearly departed parents to let us hear the evidence presented by Madam Bones and determine the guilt of the real culprit. I do not ask for anything for myself but for the sake of my parents who I am sure had their hopes pinned upon this body to ensure that justice was meted out on their behalf and their deaths were not in vain. As a victim of the crimes perpetrated on that fateful Halloween, I demand justice from this body which was set up by the Wizards Council to keep our society running".

As the address came close to the end, Harry looked ready to cry with his eyes brimming with tears and his voice hoarse as if he was barely able to control his emotions. Remus of course knew of this act. Harry had pulled the same routine with him and Lord Black many times over the years and got his way with them. There was no way that the gathered Lords and Ladies would not be moved by his plea.

Harry finished well before the appointed time limit and sat down after giving a bow. His impassioned plea had moved a lot of wizards and witches. It was true that none of them had thought of Halloween as the day when James and Lily Potter had died to ensure that the wizarding world survived. They celebrated that day as the downfall of You-know-who and perhaps none of them had spent a moment to mourn for two of their heroes who, if they had lived to see this day, would have contributed for the betterment of their society. Today, their son was standing before them and asking justice for him and some sense of peace for those who had sacrificed themselves for the good of many. In fact, what he was asking was nothing more than what they were obliged to do anyway.

Lord Macmillan stood, "Chief Warlock, as it has been proved from the inspection of the documents distributed to us that Sirius Black had not been given a trial and was illegally incarcerated in Azkaban violating his rights as a member of an Ancient and Most Noble House therefore I on behalf of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses invoke our privilege to have this trial so that the truth may come out at last".

Many of the assembled people gasped in shock. Privilege of Ancient and Most Noble Houses was never invoked by the houses anymore because they always got their way. It basically meant that they were beyond reproach of the general wizarding world while they were exercising the privilege. While many of the heads of House of the new families or the minor houses were miffed at Lord Macmillan's proclamation, they also felt that after the impassioned plea for justice by Hadrian Potter-Black it was the most effective way to cast aside the minister and have the trial anyhow.

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Lord Macmillan has invoked the privilege of the Houses which does not need to be put to a vote as has been decreed by the Wizards Council therefore the rest of this session shall be conducted under the said privilege".

He turned to Lord Macmillan, "What do you propose as the objective of this session, Lord Macmillan? Please keep in mind that you cannot sit in judgment upon someone's innocence or culpability under the privilege".

"Chief Warlock, as the Minister has attempted to prevent this trial from happening, this privilege has been invoked to investigate the matter of the innocence or guilt of one Sirius Black. Once we have heard the evidence or witnesses that Madam Bones has brought before us, we will defer the matter of deciding his fate to the entire Wizengamot".

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. Madam Bones will present her evidence and witnesses if any to prove Sirius Black's innocence or guilt. Madam Bones, the floor is yours".

Amelia stood and faced the entire Wizengamot, "Lords and Ladies three days ago, Mr. Remus Lupin arrived at my manor claiming that Sirius Black was innocent and Peter Pettigrew, whom we all believed to be a hero, had betrayed the Potters to you-know-who. Mr. Lupin had a photograph with him. It showed three boys and a rat with a toe missing from its right forpaw. It is to be remembered that the most we found of Peter Pettigrew was his finger which looked like it had been severed with a severing charm rather than separated as a result of an explosion. Mr. Lupin also confided in me that Peter Pettigrew was an illegal animagus and gave me a memory to that effect. It showed Peter Pettigrew transforming into a rat and running around. After consulting Detective Daily who works for the DMLE and a couple of aurors, I made certain that the said rat in the picture was indeed Peter Pettigrew who is an illegal animagus. I took my hand-picked crew and apprehended the fugitive who had been hiding in his rat form in Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts. In the presence of no less than 10 adult wizards and witches and a number of students, Professor McGonagall Made a positive identification of the said illegal animagus as Peter Pettigrew. She was his teacher and head of house during his time at Hogwarts and she knew him well".

She motioned for an Auror who brought the solicitor's Pensieve into the Wizengamot chamber and with a tap of her wand the scene from the Pensieve was being projected onto the wall in front of them. The first memory showed Peter Pettigrew transforming and running around on all fours (She had made a copy of Remus's memory with his permission). She sent copies of the photo in which Remus had spotted him (with the faces of the students blacked out, of course). After the Lords and Ladies had seen the memories and the photo, she showed them the memory of the Gryffindor Common Room where Professor McGonagall had forced him to return to his form. With that there was no doubt left that Peter Pettigrew was alive. It was time to strike while the iron was hot. She motioned to one Auror and he went out of the chamber. He returned a minute later with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones with Pettigrew between them who was bound in magic restraining shackles. They sat him in the chair for the accused where chains sprang out of the arms and bound him by his arms, legs and torso.

Amelia turned to the Wizengamot, "This is the infamous Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters and a lot of upstanding members of our society who dared to fight against you-know-who. He is the reason of many deaths that happened during the war".

She turned to Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, I seek your permission to dose him with Veritaserum so that we can know the gravity of his crimes".

"You are allowed to administer the Veritaserum to him, Madam Bones.".

She produced a vial from her robes and dropped three drops into his mouth. A few seconds later, his eyes rolled into his head.

_Amelia: What is your name?_

_Peter: "Peter Almeidus Pettigrew."_

_Amelia asked, "Are you a death eater?"_

_Peter responded, "Yes."_

_She asked, "Was Sirius Black a death-eater?"_

_He answered, "No."_

_Amelia asked, "Who betrayed the Potters, Lilly, James and Harry?"_

_Peter answered, "I did."_

_Amelia asked, "How did you end up being their secret keeper?"_

_Peter explained, "James and Sirius suspected that there was a spy of the Dark lord in the Order. They did not trust anyone with their security. I planted suspicions in their minds regarding the loyalty of Remus Lupin and so they kept him out of their plan. Lord Charlus Potter had performed the Fidelius on the cottage and they made me the secret keeper. They let everyone believe that Sirius was their secret-keeper. They thought it was the perfect deception. They could not have known that I, a talentless thing was the very spy they feared. I gave their secret to the Dark Lord"._

_Amelia asked, "Who else did you betray to the Dark Lord?"_

_Peter listed them off, "The Prewett twins, Dorcas Meadows, Caradoc Dearborn, Edgar and Ellie Bones, the McKinnons"._

It looked like the Wizengamot wanted to murder him on the spot. The names that he called were the people who were loved and respected in the community and had been upstanding members who would have contributed to the betterment of their society. If the looks Amelia noticed were anything to go by, Peter Pettigrew was heading for the Dementor's Kiss by the end of the day. However Amelia was not done by a long shot and had other questions as well to establish Sirius's innocence beyond doubt.

Amelia asked, _"What happened that night when the 12 muggles were killed?"_

Peter answered, _"Sirius had been tracking me for the last three days. When he cornered me at last, on a muggle street, I started shouting as if he had betrayed James and Lily. Then I cast the bombarda behind my back and escaped as a rat into the sewers through the hole I created. I did not mean for the muggles to die. They were just standing too close when I fired off the spell. I wandered for a few days before I reached Ottery St. Catchpole where a read-head boy adopted me as his pet"._

After the question and answer session was over, she administer the antidote to him and then turned to the Wizengamot, "Now I would like to ask the permission of this august body to bring in Sirius Black and to question him under Veritaserum".

Everyone knew this was hardly required but Amelia was nothing if not effective and thorough. As Dumbledore acquiesced, she motioned for two Aurors who brought in Sirius Black who looked weak, emaciated as if the flesh from his body was gone. It was clear that once he had been a very handsome man but the handsomeness was gone. The glint in his eyes and the liveliness of his face was gone replaced by two orbs which looked devoid of emotions.

Amelia addressed him, _"Sirius Black, you have been called here to be questioned about the events that happened on that fateful Halloween and later with those unfortunate muggles"._

He opened his mouth and spoke hoarsely as if he was not used to talking much, _"My pleasure. The ministry remembered after 10 years that I am yet to receive my trial"._

His complaint was genuine and so despite the edge in his voice, nobody protested. Amelia administered the Veritaserum to him and as he showed the telltale signs of being under the influence, she started asking questions, _"What is your name?"_

He answered, _"Sirius Orion Black"_.

She asked, "_Are you now or were you ever a death eater?"_

He answered, _"No"._

She asked, _"Did you betray the Potters to you-know-who?"_

Sirius said, _"I would have died before I betrayed them and joined that pretender who was nothing more than a murderer and a terrorist"._

She asked, _"On the night when the 12 muggles died, it has been reported that you were reported to have said, 'My fault James... my fault Lily...' Would you please explain why you said that?"_

Sirius took some moments to answer. The pain was evident in his eyes as tears had started to fall freely. When he spoke, his voice was raspy, _"James wanted me to become the secret keeper and go into hiding in the cottage at Godric's Hollow with them. That way, nobody could find either of us and we would have been safe however I had heard reports of a spy among us and the distortions and lies of Peter Pettigrew made us wary of everyone. I suggested a change of plan which James accepted and we made Peter the secret-keeper of their cottage. If I had not suggested the change, they would have been alive to this day. It was my fault"._

Amelia asked, _"Are you an illegal animagus, Mr. Black?"_

Sirius answered, _"We became animagi while we were students at Hogwarts. James Peter and I have never registered ourselves. By the time we thought about it, we had to go into hiding. With James and peter supposedly dead and me in Azkaban for a crime I did not commit, I have not registered myself since then"._

Amelia administered the antidote to him and then turned to the Wizengamot, "That is all, Lords and ladies. I now place his fate in your hands".

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Here ends the privilege of the Houses. We all have seen and considered the evidence before us regarding the innocence of Sirius Black. Those of you who believe Sirius Black to be innocent of all charges, please raise your wands with green tips".

More than half of the members of the Wizengamot raised their wands with the tip ignited green and Sirius Black was exonerated. Sirius visibly sagged in relief in his chair, with his face in his hands and possibly crying.

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Sirius Black, you have been exonerated of the charge for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles along with the charge of betraying the Potters to Voldemort. The ministry will tender an unconditional apology to you for its failure to deliver justice to you and pay 1 million Galleons by way of reparations. Articles shall be published in the Daily Prophet and other publications regarding your exoneration and to repair your lost reputation. You are also directed to register your animagus form with the ministry within two months from today along with late James Potter's animagus form. Such an achievement should be known and appreciated by everyone".

After he had pronounced his judgment, he turned to Pettigrew, "Peter Pettigrew, you were awarded the Order of Merlin, third class, posthumously which is stripped from you effective immediatly. A panel of chosen members from this body shall sit to consider your punishment post-haste".

With that, he rapped his gavel and one of the elders of the Wizengamot, Tibernius Ogden stood to start nominating the members of the panel to decide the fate of Pettigrew. After some deliberation, five wizards had been chosen which included- Lord Sayre who was a known neutral, Lord Greengrass, Dowager Lady Longbottom, Lord Fawley and Lord Shafiq.

They retired to a chamber at the side where they deliberated over the punishment for over an hour before they came out and handed a piece of parchment to Fudge who read it out aloud, "Peter Pettigrew, this august body through the chosen panel has deliberated over the gravity of your crimes and befitting punishment. While your crimes have been numerous and caused irreparable damage to society which merits nothing less than the Dementor's kiss but that punishment pales in comparison to the gravity of your crimes. Therefore, you are sentenced to execution through the veil at 5:00 this evening in the presence of the Chief Warlock, the Minister of Magic and the head of the DMLE".

The members of the Wizengamot were shocked. No one had been executed through the veil in decades because it was considered barbaric. To send someone through the veil meant erasing every trace of their existence without even leaving behind a body however many felt that it was just.

* * *

**A/N- Hi, guys. I guess it has been too long that the last chapter was published and I think you all are famished for more. Here is the next chapter and I hope it will satiate your thirst and at the same time make you yearn for more. I received such profound reviews for the last chapters that I feel it would be injustice if I did not answer to each one of you. So let's do it:**

**ObsessedwithHPFanFic: Thank you for the review. Your reviews are always pleasant.**

**Hypergym: thank you for the detailed review that you gave to the last chapter and I know you are yearning to know how the story will turn but that is something that everyone is waiting for. So, why not you wait with them? it will be worth it, I promise.**

**Anarion: thank you. You are one of those I can always count upon to review my story.**

**Shunshu: Thank you. I hope you will like it as the story progresses.**

**Mizrazz- Thanks mate. We will see how much Draco can get to.**

**Marilyn: Your review made my day. Such appreciation.**

**Bill Brink: I cannot tell you how much pleased I am with you reviews. It is only when readers read a story and appreciates it so thoroughly that we can understand what we mean to them. I am looking forward to more reviews in future.**

**THANK YOU HYPERGYM FOR THE EDITS**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wizengamot**

The session was adjourned soon after Sirius Black was declared innocent and Peter Pettigrew had been carried away in chains. Two healers appeared and took Sirius away before Harry could reach him. He turned to Moony to ask for an explanation, who just shrugged, "Lord Black wanted him to be back in the hospital as soon as the trial was over. Besides he is not medically fit to meet you right now. His sanity was the most affected and the Healers feel that too much emotional stress may prove dangerous to him therefore we cannot meet him today. The healers are administering him some potions which are helping him. He was not even told that you would be present at the session today. Also, Lord Black did not want the wizarding world to see you break down in front of them and reveal how emotional you are".

Harry rolled his eyes, "He really thinks in detail about everything, doesn't he? Ok, for this once I will abide by his rules, Moony".

Before he could say anything further, the Minister of Magic was walking briskly toward him. He extended a hand to Harry and said warmly, "Mr. Potter-Black, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I call you Harry?"

Harry loathed this pompous creature before him with every fibre of his being from his pinstriped cloak to the lime green bowler hat on his head. If he had listened to Lord Black all those years ago, Sirius would have been free to raise Harry as his own. "Minister, I would like to say that it was a pleasure to meet you but seeing how you have acted towards my guardian in the past and how you denied justice to my god-father, I cannot say so".

Fudge's smile fell a little but the consummate politician that he was, he rallied valiantly, "I had nothing to do with this debacle, Mr. Potter-Black".

"On that we can agree. An over-grown monkey like you lack the brains to orchestrate something like this", growled Arcturus who had just come up behind him. "Now be gone before my patience runs out with you".

Fudge spluttered and left while Lucius approached them. He bowed deep to Arcturus, "Lord Black, we are honored to have you back. I would like to invite you to enjoy the hospitality of Malfoy Manor this evening".

Arcturus growled, "Be gone with you too, fool and if you have made any sort of alliance in the name of House Black or touched so much as a single knut from the Black fortune, you will rue it to the last day of your life. As to your invitation to break bread under your roof, I would rather die than step in a Malfoy household. The only concession I give you is not banishing Narcissa from the family tree".

As Lucius was gone, Arcturus turned to Harry, "you will meet Sirius tomorrow, lad. Today, Remus has something planned for you. I will expect you both to return by dinner today".

With that he was gone. Remus and Harry travelled to the atrium after Remus disguised him with some glamour charms so no one would recognize him.

They flooed to the Leaky Cauldron from the Atrium. The inn was bursting with people as it was the peak hour of the day. Remus hailed the barman, Tom an old man with just a couple of teeth left in his head, bald and stooping, replied with equal enthusiasm. When Harry arched an eye-brow in a questioning look, Remus told him that the marauders had spent many a time in the inn getting drunk, chasing witches and causing mayhem.

Remus asked for a private parlor from Tom who directed them to one on the first floor. When they were in the safety of the room with lunch spread before them, Harry asked him, "Where are we going, Moony?"

Remus said simply and sombrely, "I don't know if you will like this, Harry, but I feel that it is long past time that you go. We could not take you there before because of security concerns and we still have to be careful. I had a whole discussion with Lord Black about it and he grumbled a lot, but finally agreed. Today, Harry, we are going to Godric's Hollow".

Harry did not know how to react to the news. Over the years, he had been told that his parents were laid to rest in Godric's Hollow but had never been there. He had once asked Lord Black to take him there but the man had refused. At Harry's protests, he had told him of his reasons. "Lad, there is nothing pleasant for me at that place. Your father was my nephew and I cannot in all honesty see his grave and keep myself together. In all these years, I have not been there because I do not have the power in my old bones to see it. As it is, I have seen so many of my family die and had to bury them that I think I am done with it. Another reason is that I am supposed to be living in solitude away from Wizarding Britain. Sightings of me in the village with a child of your age would only spread rumours and make Dumbledore suspicious. We have a long time yet to stay out of sight before we are ready for you to return to Wizarding Britain. I cannot afford to blow our cover but I promise that when we return to Wizarding Britain I will ask Moony to take you there".

Remus nudged his shoulder bringing him into the present. "Harry, if you do not want, we can cancel and go directly to the Townhouse".

"No, no Moony. I want to go. I want to see their graves and may be feel some kind of connection with them. It is just that it is very sudden.". He looked at Moony who was suddenly looking like he had aged years in the last few moments. He had never realized why Moony had not visited Godric's Hollow either alone or with Harry all these years but in that moment, he understood. Remus could not face them either. The werewolf had lived a life of trouble devoid of friends before he arrived at Hogwarts. His family had to live a troubled life changing residences often, covering up his transformations and everything. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he had friends for the first time in his life. The Marauders adopted him as one of their own, disregarded his lycanthropy as 'his furry little problem' and made him feel wanted. They were his family and their deaths had broken him. Harry also remembered a little tidbit of information that Lord Black had given him that Lyall Lupin was still alive and Remus had never spoken to him after graduating from Hogwarts thinking he might be a liability for his father and disturb his peaceful existence. The last time he had met his father was when his mother had died. Perhaps he could do something about that but it would have to wait. It was not proper for a son to live away from his father.

**Godric's Hollow**

After they were done with their lunch, they flooed to 'the Lost Centaur' which was an inn situated in Godric's hollow and only served wizards. The inn was like the Leaky Cauldron but more spacious, had more tables and more people were in the inn. The barman was a young man who had blond hair, brown eyes and was of average height. He hailed Remus when he saw him and Remus exited with Harry after sending a greeting to him in reply.

The village was beautiful with its wide roads and the houses which looked like they were made in the Victorian era. Not far from where they had exited the inn, was a church. Across from the church was the graveyard where Remus was leading him.

As they arrived at the graveyard, Remus tapped the gates with his wand which was half concealed in his sleeve and the gate opened soundlessly. When Harry arched his eye-brow questioningly at him, he explained, "This graveyard is visible to everyone from outside and most of the muggles see it is a muggle graveyard however wizards have been buried here since time immemorial. Except for the old families which have their own crypts or family mausoleum now, wizards are still buried this way".

He led him by the arm to a grave situated at the far end of the graveyard where the graves looked more recent. His parent's grave was in the last row. The gravestone was white marble and Harry thought that it would have shone in the dark. They had a single headstone for both of them which made Harry think that perhaps they had been buried together. In a small way, it made sense that they were not apart even in death. The inscription on the gravestone read:

**IN LOVING MEMORY OF**

**JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER**

**Born- 27th March 1959 Born- 30th January 1959**

**DATE OF DEATH- 31st October 1981.**

There was a message engraved at the base of the gravestone, _**"The last enemy that shall be defeated is death".**_

Harry thought that the message was perhaps somebody's sick idea of a joke. Who had ruined their graves? When he asked Remus, he told Harry, "No Harry. This is the Potter family motto. They inherited it from the Peverells. No one who is a death eater or has hostile intentions of befouling any of these graves can enter this place due to an enchantment placed and regularly updated by the Ministry of Magic".

Harry sat near the grave looking at the gravestone and thinking of his parents. He had never met them in his life and did not remember anything about them. He loved them without a doubt but there was nothing to remember them by. He started rumbling, _"Hey Mom and Dad, I know I am late coming here after all these years but I had my reasons. Lord Black did not want me to come for my own safety. Sirius was in Azkaban all these years so he could not bring me either. Moony had to look after me and raise me as per your wishes in secret. I want to tell you that I love you both. I wish that I had some memories of my own about you both to remember you by. Moony did a great job in bringing me up in strict discipline, never over-indulging me but loving me as much as you would have loved me..._"

By that time, Harry's voice had started to choke up and he could say no more. Remus hugged him tight comforting him. It was when Harry felt his own shoulder getting drenched that he realized that Remus must be weeping too. The werewolf was trying to control his emotions as Harry guessed from the sobs which he heard now and then. They kept consoling each other for sometime before Remus managed to extricate himself from Harry's embrace.

After sometime passed, Remus conjured Lilies for Harry to lay on the graves. After they were done, Harry whispered, "I promise I will live my life to the fullest, take care of Padfoot and Moony and if Voldemort returns to life, I will kill him. I will come back soon with Padfoot who has been exonerated today".

With that they started walking out of the graveyard and Harry noticed many of the gravestones had names he recognized from Hogwarts- Abbott, Stevenson, Booth, Parkes. He spotted a very old grave that had been weathered down during the ages. The stone looked very old and the name was starting to fade and Harry could barely make it out- Ignotus Peverell. He remembered that the Peverells were one of the ancient families of Wizarding Britain and Ignotus was the last lord before Lolanthe Peverell had married Hardwin Potter thus making him his ancestor. There was also a symbol drawn on the gravestone which shocked him. As far as Harry knew from reading about magical history, the symbol had belonged to Grindelwald. What it was doing here on a grave in Godric's Hollow, he could not understand.

A few graves over from Ignotus were two more graves which looked at least a century old. It was the names on the Gravestones which attracted his attention. The gravestones read- Kendra Dumbledore and Arianna Dumbledore. He did not know that Dumbledore's family had lived in Godric's Hollow. He asked Moony about it. "Yes, we found out about it when James and Lily came here to hide all those years ago. I believe he still has a small cottage in the village where he comes to stay when he is not at Hogwarts".

After they exited the graveyard, Remus asked him, "Harry do you want to go see the cottage? I confess that I don't really want to return there but I will come if you want me to".

Harry was conflicted. On one hand, he did not want another pang of pain but on the other hand, he wanted to see the place. At last, he decided that they might as well get it over with. Sometime, he would have come here anyway.

They started their walk to the cottage which was on the other side of the village. They had to cross the village square. In the middle of the square was an obelisk engraved with names. When Remus saw it, he frowned, "That was not here when James and Lily were living here".

Remus asked around and he was told that the monument was a war memorial commemorating those who had died for Britain in the First World War. As they were passing the square, the memorial changed and the obelisk morphed into statues of a man in round glasses, with a mop of hair on his head. There was a woman beside him with kind eyes, a smile on her face and flowing hair. In her lap was a baby without a scar on his forehead. There was a description attached which read- "_This memorial has been erected here in the memory of the Potters- James and Lily and as a tribute to Harry Potter- the only wizard to have survived the killing curse and vanquished the dark wizard known as Voldemort_".

Harry looked at the statue with longing, his eyes instantly watering again thinking of how happy he looked engraved in stone. Remus softly pulled him away by his shoulders and guided him to a house at the end of a lane. The roof of the house was gone as if blown away and Harry understood that it was where the Killing Curse had struck the roof and blasted it apart. There was a hedge lining the property with a small gate in the middle. Harry noticed that the muggles who were passing did not spare a glance at the ruins and he thought that it was invisible to muggles. The hedge had grown in the past decade with the grass being waist high. Ivy had started to creep up the walls and the doors of the cottage. Harry stood on the threshold for sometime before he touched the gate and a golden sign sprung upwards which read:

_"On this spot on 31st October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the killing curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family"_.

There were messages of gratitude from witches and wizards who had paid homage to this site and Harry was comforted with the signs of support that people had left over the years.

"Moony, I do not know why I never thought about it earlier but what happened to their things? I mean the house would have been full of stuff".

"Yes Harry and most of the things which were in the cottage were taken by Goblins and deposited in your family vault to keep them safe for when you would come to claim your inheritance".

They stood for a long time at the gate taking in everything until they heard someone clearing their throat behind them.

Harry turned to find an elderly witch in an evening gown standing there and looking intently at Harry. She was ancient even by Dumbledore's standards, was stooping a bit and looked very frail. Remus respectfully bowed to her, "Madam Bagshot, it is an honour to meet you again".

She smiled kindly, "Well met, Mr. Lupin. I believe it is almost a decade since we last met here".

Remus introduced Harry to her, "Harry this is Bathilda Bagshot, the writer of 'A History of Magic' which is the mandatory text on the History of Magic at Hogwarts".

Harry respectfully bowed before her. She gave him a kind smile, "Mr. Potter, I have not seen you since you were a wee little lad. Would you both come for tea, perhaps?"

Harry wanted to refuse initially but then realized that perhaps she could tell him more about his time with his parents and accepted the invitation.

She lived in a little cottage a few houses over. The cottage was two stories high and looked homely. On the mantel of the fireplace, were a lot of pictures and he recognized one of them distinctly. He was a little shocked to see that picture here in this house but kept his peace. He was not there to ask questions but on invitation.

She asked her elf to bring tea for three and when it arrived, she mixed Fire Whiskey into Remus's tea. When he raised an eye-brow, she shrugged, "I would guess that it was not easy for you to see everything today and hold it together. Fire whiskey, while it is not recommended, I find it helps me cope with memories".

"Mr. Potter" Bathilda started to say.

Harry cut her off, "Madam Bagshot, please call me Harry".

She smiled, "Harry it is then. Please call me Bathilda. I may be more than a century old but I still have not come to love formalities. As I was saying, when your parents were living here, I used to visit them. Both of them were young, kind and in love with each other. He would often test her patience but she never caused a fuss over it. They both loved you absolutely and you would be friendly to anyone who offered you a candy. You were very attached to Sirius Black. When even Lily could not calm you down, he had the knack of making you calm down. James was well James. He was different from most others of his age and often the cottage was full of his friends who would come over. Almost everyone who was something in Albus's order came around. Amelia Bones, Alastor Moody, Dumbledore, were some of the regulars. That night when you-know-who killed them, I was in bed after dinner. It was when Aurors started to arrive in large numbers and some of them woke me up that I realized what had happened. Lily had become like a daughter to me, often inviting me to the household, cooking for both of us. In a way we had bonded with each other. After their deaths, you were taken away. I was not in any position to take care of you because I was elderly even then and I was no relation to you".

"What was my childhood like?"

She smiled, "Oh you were the most naughty child that there could be and your accidental magic was powerful. By the time that you were barely a month old, you were able to make things move around the room. James and Lily had to bewitch everything in the house with Feather light charms so you would not hurt yourself and on top of that, they had enchanted almost everything with anti-summoning charms. When Sirius Black bought you a toy broomstick on your first birthday, you started to zoom around the house on it, hurting yourself, scaring your parents and a couple of times you almost killed your cat".

"We had a cat?"

Remus gave a wistful smile, "I had forgotten about him after all these years. Lily had bought a kneazle from Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley shortly before her marriage. She absolutely loved it. I guess nobody tried to find it after that night".

Bathilda suddenly remembered something, "Oh, before I forget there is something that I have for you".

Harry's demeanor perked up, "You have something for me?"

She was already out of the chair and going inside the cottage. She returned after a few moments, clutching a chest in her hands and handed it to Harry, "After the Goblins took everything to the family vault, there were a few things which they thought were not important and left here. Albus gave them to me for safe keeping".

With shaking fingers, Harry opened the chest. On the top of the chest were two wands. He presumed that they belonged to his parents. There was also a little handheld mirror and a bunch of letters along with some kid's clothes.

Harry profusely thanked her for it. He remembered a question he had, "Bathilda, can you tell me what made my parents go into hiding? I mean they were rich and powerful and had a manor to live in with centuries of wards. Why would they need to hide here under the strongest protections available? Did my mother ever discuss the topic with you?"

"I do not know Harry. I once had asked Lily about it but she told me that it was a secret worth more than her life. Seeing her reluctance, I dropped the topic".

Remus asked her, "Who constructed the memorial in the village square?"

She smiled, "Lord Arcturus Black had this memorial constructed a year after that Halloween. Came into the village with wand blazing and a team of goblins and commissioned that monument saying his nephew's sacrifice deserved to be commemorated. The ministry was initially against the idea until he proposed to pay for it".

Harry was a little astonished. He thought that he had figured Lord Black out in the decade that he spent with him but the old wizard certainly was more Slytherin than most Harry knew at Hogwarts. He sure could work in the shadows to achieve what he desired.

**Department of Mysteries**

Kingsley Shacklebolt and Hestia Jones had brought Pettigrew shackled in magic-restraining cuffs to the bowels of the ministry following the Minister of Magic, the Chief Warlock and the head of DMLE. Pettigrew had stopped trying to escape hours ago. He had laid quietly in his cell in the Ministry waiting for his inevitable death. He knew that all the people that he had betrayed would be waiting to have their reckoning with him in the after-life.

The chief unspeakable Croaker met them at the entrance to the department and nodded to the Minister and the Chief Warlock. Fudge asked him, "Croaker, I trust everything is ready?"

"Yes Minister".

They carried Pettigrew in and Amelia could not resist but ask, "Mr. Croaker, what is behind the veil?"

Croaker gave her a look of incredulity, "No one really knows Madam Bones. Some say it is the doorway to the other astral plane, others say it is related to another world altogether and some even say that it is a hellmouth. What we know for certain is that no one has ever come back from the veil".

In the death chamber, Pettigrew was petrified by Amelia who did it gleefully taking pleasure in extracting some semblance of justice for her brother and sister-in-law. After he was petrified, she cast the hovering charm on his clothes making him hover in the air and then banished him through the veil.

Pettigrew who had been silent till then started trying to thrash his arms like an animal being butchered but none of those present heeded his pleas. Finally Pettigrew passed through the veil. Pettigrew was forever beyond this world.

**Black Townhouse**

Harry and Remus returned home sometime before dinner. There was a copy of a special edition of the evening newspaper waiting for them. There was a big bold headline with a picture of Sirius from his days as an Auror. There was another smaller photograph of Peter Pettigrew in chains tied to the chair.

_**"SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT**_

_**-Almeidus Bartley**_

_**When the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot gathered for a full body trial this morning, no one knew that this day would reveal so many blatant acts of violation of rights, usurpation of powers, betrayal and conspiracy.**_

_**In this emergency session of the full Wizengamot for a full body trial (the first since the last war) convened at the behest of Madam Bones, she made a startling revelation that Sirius Black had never been tried for his supposed crimes but was sent to Azkaban in violation of his rights as an upstanding member of this society. Not to mention, he was heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black at the time, so it was also usurping the rights of a member of one of the oldest Houses. As the facts came to light, the Houses were up in arms against the ministry for the wrong committed against one of their own. Here I would like to remind our dear readers that Sirius Black had been accused of betraying the Potters to you-know-who and killing Peter Pettigrew plus 12 muggles. (To know more about Sirius Black, turn to Page 4)**_

_**Minister Fudge was adamant that this trial was a farce and tried to prevent it from happening until the boy-who-lived himself rose up to make an impassioned plea and moved the members with his words. The boy wonder had tears in his eyes, voice cracking and his demeanor was that of a kitten before a pack of lions. His impassioned plea moved the elite of the Wizarding World. They granted his petition.**_

_**It also came to light during this proceeding that Lucius Malfoy was not the rightfully appointed Regent of House Black but had been arbitrarily placed there by Minister Fudge who had no authority to do so. Lord Black, who made his first public appearance in Wizarding Britain in decades vowed revenge on Minister Fudge for usurping his rights. (For more on House Black, see p. 10).**_

_**Lord Macmillan invoked the Privilege of Houses to compel the Wizengamot to hear the evidence. What followed was the most startling revelation of the day. (To know more about the Privilege, see P. 8). Peter Pettigrew who had been hailed as a hero after his supposed death and awarded The Order of Merlin Third Class, was alive. Madam Bones had him brought in the Court Room and had him questioned under Veritaserum. He confessed to being the mole in the secret organization known as The Order of the Phoenix. He passed information to you-know-who which led to the deaths of a number of notable witches and wizards including Edgar and Ellie Bones, the Prewett Twins, Dorcas Meadows and the McKinnons. **_

_**After she completed her interrogation of Pettigrew, Madam Bones brought in Sirius Black to testify. She also examined him under the effect of Veritaserum. He confirmed that they had made Peter Pettigrew the secret keeper to fool others. He also confessed that he, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew had secretly become animagi in their fifth year at Hogwarts. **_

_**A select committee appointed by the Wizengamot sentenced Pettigrew to execution by passing through the veil scheduled for this evening at 5:00. This brings us to the question, dear readers, what else is the ministry hiding? What if there are more wizards like Sirius Black who have been sent to Azkaban without due process? With the fact of the Minister usurping the rights of an Ancient and Most Noble House coming to light, can we expect a power shift in the Wizengamot in the coming days?**_

_**We at the Daily Prophet tender our unconditional apologies to Sirius Black for all the libel he had to endure over the years and wish him the best of luck".**_

There was also a little paragraph which stated every word that Harry had said before the Wizengamot today.

After Remus had read the article, he said, "They are laying it on thick. They themselves were defaming Sirius all those years ago".

Lord Black noticed Harry was very quiet. "What happened lad? Why are you so quiet?"

"Grand-uncle, why did you not tell me that you had the memorial erected?"

"Because it was not something to brag about, lad. Now tell us how the rest of your classes have been".

Harry told them everything that had happened in the classes since Pettigrew's capture including being selected for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. When he told about Snape's behaviour in class, Arcturus was furious but quietened when Harry assured him that Dumbledore had promised to take action about it. By the time he was done, Arcturus was beaming with pride, "I feel like I did the right thing by you all those years ago. You have made me so proud today".

Remus was equally jubilant, "Prongs will be turning in his grave with jealousy that his son outclassed him. And he was considered one of the finest players".

Harry remembered something, "Oh that reminds me, Remus. Have you brought my broom from the Black Castle?"

"No, but that can be arranged and I will have it sent to you in a couple of days". He of course was not going to tell Harry yet but he was planning to buy a Nimbus 2000 and send it to Harry. He also was not going to share his plans with Arcturus because then the older wizard would beat him to it and send one to Harry. By the looks that he was sending their way, Remus knew the older wizard was perhaps planning something like that. He would have to ask him to let him have this little pleasure.

After dinner, Lord Black sent him to bed saying they had to go early to St. Mungo's to meet Sirius.

**Hogwarts**

Minerva McGonagall was reading the paper and dabbing at the corner of her eyes with her tartan handkerchief. James Potter was her godson and she loved him like a son and Lily had been one of her favorite students. She had not been able to have peaceful sleep for days after they had been killed. She had hated Sirius for betraying his friends for a decade but that day when Peter Pettigrew turned out to be alive, a lot of her perceptions had been shattered. She was still not able to forgive herself for even harbouring the thought in the first place that Sirius could have betrayed James and Lily. He would have died in their place to save their lives. It also surprised her that three students had become Animagi right under her nose and she never suspected a thing. James and Sirius were exceptionally bright but to think that their capabilities had extended far beyond what she could hope for was intriguing.

Also intriguing was Hadrian Potter-Black who had showed till now that he was a mixed bag of the best qualities of his father and mother. True he had not yet indulged in mischief making but it was just the first week. It was too early to tell if he was an innocent or the next generation prankster. He also had prodigious abilities as a flier like his father. Wood had briefed her that he was like a bird on a broom and with a Nimbus under him, he definitely would outfly anyone. She was going to do just that- buy a Nimbus for him.

That reminded her that she was yet to inform Remus about his selection as a seeker for the Quidditch team. Remus had sent her a letter that he was in the employ of Lord Black and Regent for House Potter therefore, she could contact him about anything related to Harry. Remus had also given a floo address to contact if there was any emergency and anything related to Quidditch was an emergency to her. She threw a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace and said, "Prongslet Den" (inwardly she thought it was a silly address). A few moments later, when the floo stopped moving, Remus Lupin was sitting in a chair in front of the fire with Arcturus Orion Black.

Remus saw her head sitting in the flames and bent at the grate grinning, "Good Evening, Minnie".

She scowled, "I. Am. Not. Minnie."

Remus just smirked, "Of course you are. Or did you forget that?"

When she glared at him he raised his hands in surrender, "I apologize. What brings you here? Is everything alright?"

"Do you know that your nephew has become the youngest seeker in a century after being selected as Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team? And that he achieved this feat when he caught a Remembrall after a fifty foot dive? I swear I have never seen anyone do that and not plow into the ground".

Remus smiled, "Yes, he does remind me of James on a broom, only he is more dangerous. He performed a Wronski Feint at the age of 8".

Minerva's eyes widened in surprise, "That is unbelievable. However I have flooed you to inform you that he will need a racing broom".

"I know and I am planning to buy a Nimbus..." his words were cut short by McGonagall, "No, absolutely not. I have decided that I am buying this for him".

He eyed her suspiciously, "And why would you do that? Is that not favoritism?"

"Because he is James's son and as his great God-mother, I can buy him gifts if I want to. And it is not favoritism because I am not doing this as Head of Gryffindor but as Minerva McGonagall".

Remus knew any protests of his would fall on deaf ears. Minerva McGonagall was a hard to convince witch. "Ok, you win Minnie", he said cheekily and ended their connection before she could retort.

**St. Mungo's**

Harry woke up early in the morning and went to find Moony grumbling that the Townhouse had nowhere for him to run or do his exercises. Remus mollified him telling him that it was just a matter of a day before he would be back at Hogwarts. Also, he cautioned Harry that he might want to save his energy for the tiring day ahead.

After being fussed over by Moony, Harry hastened to the bathroom. He came down 30 minutes later to find Lord Black and Moony eating breakfast. The morning prophet was on the table, open to the story at the front page.

_**Peter Pettigrew executed**_

_**As it was reported yesterday, Peter Pettigrew was found alive. He was convicted of betraying the Potters as well as many prominent members of The Order of the Phoenix and the murder of 12 muggles. The manner of his escape framed Sirius Black in the process. For his crimes, he was sentenced to death, by passing through the veil at 5:00 PM last evening. **_

_**According to a press note released by the Ministry, at 5:00 p.m. Peter Pettigrew was carried down to the bowels of the Ministry to the Veil Chamber situated in the Department of Mysteries under the watchful eyes of the Minister of Magic, The Chief Warlock and the head of DMLE.**_

_**At 5:00 PM., he was banished through the veil at the hands of the head of the DMLE. The ministry assures its citizens that it will look into the convictions of the prisoners at Azkaban to see that there wasn't any other miscarriage of justice.**_

Harry put the paper down and eyed the two men who were looking nonchalant as if they had not a care in the world. Kreacher served him eggs and toast for breakfast with pumpkin juice which he finished quickly.

After breakfast, Lord Black started addressing him, "Harry, I know that you are eager to meet Sirius but I want to give you a word of caution before we go to St. Mungo's. Sirius's mental state is fragile and he can get excited easily, so, please do not talk to him about something which would excite him".

Harry nodded that he understood. As they came out of the house, Remus caught hold of Harry's hand and disappeared with Lord Black following suit.

When they appeared in a deserted alley, Harry whined, "Never again. I will never get used to side-along apparition".

Moony guffawed, "It is either this or portkey to places where you cannot floo except by permission".

Harry looked around, "Where is the hospital exactly, Moony?"

"Not far from here lad. Come along now", said Lord Black who had materialized beside them at that moment.

Harry started following the two men. He could not resist asking Moony however, "Why did they build the hospital here, Moony? Won't the Muggles notice us?"

"When we needed to have a wizarding hospital in London, the ministry looked for a suitable location but there was none available. They were either too remote or there was not enough space even with expansion charms at work. We could not put a hospital underground because fresh air and sunlight help with recovery. We could not make it look like a muggle hospital. That would have lead to complications we didn't need. In the end, the decision was to hide it in plain sight. Since the location is in the middle of London, there are no designated apparition points. Most prefer to apparate somewhere in the vicinity and then travel on foot to the hospital".

When they turned the corner onto the main street, Harry looked up at the front of a building that must have been at least eight stories tall. There was a big sign hanging from the third floor that proclaimed, _"Under renovation. Opening soon!"_ By the looks of the accumulation of city grime and the fashions on the mannequins in the one window that was not boarded up, "soon" had been over 20 years ago.

Lord Black leaned toward the mannequin at the center of the window and said, "We are here to see Sirius Black".

Harry thought that he had lost his marbles until the dummy blinked and he disappeared. Remus shut his open mouth and pushed him forward until he found himself in what he thought was the lobby of a hospital. The lobby was bustling with activity with wizards and witches present and waiting for their turn. A few of them were in line at the reception desk. There were posters on the walls around them with slogans like _'a clean cauldron can keep you safe from being poisoned'_.

Remus steered him past the reception desk to a private room on the second floor. The room was as big as his room in the Black Townhouse and in the middle of the room was a bed on which laid Sirius Black being tended to by his healer.

Harry had the time to look at him properly for the first time. He had heard from Remus how Sirius was considered one of the most handsome men and he had seen the photos too but he wanted to see for himself. At the moment, the said Sirius Black was sleeping while the healer was working some spells on him.

"Have we come at the wrong time, Healer Meredith?" asked Lord Black.

"No no, you have come at the right time. I was just going to administer the wiggenweld potion to him. As it is, he has been sleeping since we brought him back from the ministry. Now that you are here, I want to see how it goes so that we can decide about further treatment for him".

The healer gave seats to them and then administered the potion to Sirius. It took a few minutes before Sirius was fully awake. He whimpered when he saw Lord Black, "Grandfather. Are you still alive?"

Arcturus growled, "What? Were you hoping I was dead?"

Sirius hastily said, "No, I was surprised that is all. You did not interfere when I had to run away".

"No, I did not. We can talk about that when you are stronger", Arcturus said in a decisive tone meaning the topic was closed for now.

Sirius's eye then wandered to Moony who sat in front of Harry, hiding him. He jumped down from his bed and bear hugged him, "Moony, you are looking so young. I am so glad to see you here. I never thought that I would see you again".

Moony's voice was cracking, "I am delighted to see you again, Padfoot".

It was then Sirius noticed the little boy sitting in the chair behind Remus and his breath hitched in his throat. He did not need to look into his emerald green eyes to know that it was his godson- the toddler whose first word was 'Pa' Foo'' rather than mother or father. The toddler he had loved like his own son. The son of his brother- Harry Potter.

He sat on his knees to come at eye level with Harry, "Hello Harry, do you know who I am?"

Harry gave him a grin, "you are Pa' Foo'".

The word had barely tumbled out of his mouth before Sirius was hugging him and crying in his shoulder. Harry tried to comfort him but the older wizard refused to calm down. Several minutes passed before Sirius let him go.

In that moment, it was like everything else had ceased to exist. Sirius was only looking at Harry, trying to take in everything about his appearance and affix it in his mind, tears streaking down his face. Many minutes passed and every one sat in comfortable silence until Sirius broke it. "Harry, I am sorry that I was the reason for James and Lily's death. They wanted me to be the secret keeper but I had suggested Peter to be the one. He was a talentless thing so obviously no one else would have thought that he would be given such a responsibility. He sold us all out. If only I had become their secret keeper, your parents would have been alive to this day or I could have convinced James to let Dumbledore become the secret keeper but the rat filled us with doubts about each other".

Harry said kindly, "Sirius, it was not your fault. Pettigrew had even fooled Dumbledore and played spy for Voldemort. He had even made you suspect Remus who was loyal to you and my father. My parents knew what they were fighting for and they died doing what was their duty. I would accept that I miss them sometimes but I am proud of them to have stood for what they believed in. I know they would be angry with you for blaming yourself for their deaths. They died because they placed their trust in the wrong person. You would have died for them but Pettigrew was a coward. I forbid you from ever saying this again".

"Was? Why are you referring to him in the past tense?"

"Because while you were lost in sleep, my idiot grandson, the traitor was sent through the veil by Amelia Bones who by her own admission was very happy to have done it", Arcturus growled.

Sirius turned to Harry, "I have a lot to talk to you about, Harry. First tell me who raised you? Did Alice raise you? Second tell me if you have turned out to be the always serious (no pun) no fun bloke or a prankster carrying forward the legacy of your father and god-father? This would be your first year at school. What are the classes like?"

Arcturus murmured, "Looks like you will be here for a long time, Harry. I will go now and wait for you at the Townhouse for dinner".

Arcturus left and Sirius grinned at Harry, "I am still waiting for answers, godson. Are you going to make me beg?"

Remus laughed, "At least you retained your sense of humor".

"That I did, Moony. I also want to apologize to you for believing that you could have gone over to Voldemort. Will you forgive me?"

"Padfoot, that is past now. In fact even I was hoodwinked by that traitor into believing that you had become a spy for Voldemort under pressure from your family. I hope you will forgive me for thinking that you could have betrayed James and Lily".

After the two old friends had reconciled, Sirius turned to Harry, "You know Godson, I am still waiting for your answers".

"As you well know, Hagrid took me away from the ruins of the cottage. Dumbledore did not know anyone else on my father's side of the family who was alive to take me in. Even with Voldemort gone, most of his death eaters were still free. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Giving me to a wizarding family to raise would have exposed me and them to the possibility of death eaters finding and killing all of us. Or, he could give me to my only living blood relative, who hates everything about magic, but the blood wards would protect us. He made some protections from the sacrifice of my mother based on blood magic and erected wards around their home which prevented any magical with a dark mark or having hostile intentions towards me from entering the place. The muggles as you probably know were a nasty piece of work. They kept me in awful conditions".

Sirius looked ready to brawl, "Do you mean he left you with Petunia and her monstrous slug of a husband? They are the meanest muggles alive".

Remus patted his arm, "He is not yet finished telling, Padfoot. Now calm down or Healer Meredith will throw us out and douse you with a sleep potion again".

Healer Meredith, who was sitting nearby, glared at Sirius to show that she might just do as Remus suggested. "You know Mr. Black, one of the healers here has sung your praises saying how helpful you were to ladies before your incarceration. That you never created a fuss with them but ever since you have come into my care, all you have done is cause trouble for me. If you say one more word before Mr. Potter- Black is done telling his part of the story, I will have you doused with sleep potion and forget to enervate you".

Sirius looked towards Harry, "you heard the healer, Prongslet. Go on with your story. I will not say another word now".

Harry continued, "There are things that I should not speak about in public, so we will talk about them when you are home or maybe Remus will be able to fill you in on it later. I will answer as many of your questions as I can here. Alice Longbottom who was my godmother did not raise me because a few days after my parents were killed, she and Frank Longbottom were tortured into insanity by the Cruciatus curse at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, Rudolphus Lestrange, Rabbastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. They are alive to this day but they are not conscious of the world around them. Since their incapacitation, they have been residents of the Permanent Spell Damage Ward here at St. Mungo's. After I was rescued from the muggles, I was raised by Lord Black and Moony. No I am not a studious bloke but a fun loving prankster. I started at Hogwarts this year and the classes have been fun mostly except for Severus Snape".

"Snape! Who let that death eater be a teacher?" Sirius bellowed.

Remus glared at him, "Padfoot, we will talk about that later. When you get well and are at home, we will have a long talk about it".

Sirius turned to Harry, "Sorry, I could not control my feelings. So what else do you like to do?"

Harry grinned, "Oh, I am a flier. I love flying and Lord Black had me attend flying lessons on a Hippogriff, Abraxan Horses and I own my own broom. There is also a sort of surprise which I do not want to spoil for you but you will have to see it for yourself when they let you out of here".

Harry was recounting his school experiences and bits about his life-time to Sirius for some time when Healer Meredith interrupted them, "Mr. Potter-Black and Mr. Lupin, it is past visiting hours now. If you want you can visit him later".

Sirius kissed his forehead telling him to take care and that he would see him soon.

**Hogwarts, the next day**

Harry returned to Hogwarts half way through breakfast time, flooing into Professor McGonagall's office.

"Morning Mr. Potter- Black', she said from her chair, "Make sure that you are not spreading ash all over the carpet".

"Morning Professor", he replied while he banished the soot from his robes with a scourgify charm.

When he came to the Great Hall, the lions were sitting in a huddled group. As they saw him, they all started hailing him and made a point of it to show off to the Slytherins that he was back.

He asked one of the twins, "Mate, what is this all about? I know I am famous but such a reception?"

The twins grinned, "Oh, Malfoy has been spouting all over the place that you were expelled and how his father has taken care of you. We just sent a message to him that he can go soak his head".

"Don't worry. He has to pay for the stunt he did on Thursday. Are you both up to some pranking?"

The twins grinned, "What do you have in mind?"

With their heads close together, Harry explained his plan to them.

As they were talking, owl post started coming in and a big Tawny Owl landed in front of Ron, extending its leg to him. Ron took the letter and the bird did not instantly fly away. He supposed it was waiting for an answer and opened the letter.

_"Dear Mr. Weasley_

_My name is Arcturus Orion Black, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. I know that we have had no occasion to talk before this, nor was there a reason to do so._

_I understand that recently, you lost your pet and I feel partly responsible. This created a debt between us which cannot be left unpaid so, I have bought this owl, Merion as a gift to you to replace the pet you lost. I apologize if you feel that an owl cannot compensate for a rat. I have an aversion to rats. In my opinion, they make poor pets anyway._

_Sincerely,_

_Arcturus Orion Black_

_Order of Merlin First class, _

_Lord of Ancient and Most Noble House of Black"._

Ron turned to Harry, "What is the meaning of this, Harry?"

Harry just shrugged, "Lord Black does not like to owe debts to anyone. He never forgets to repay any good deed or bad deed done to him. However you are at liberty to either accept the gift or leave it".

Ron caught hold of the owl and caressed its back lovingly, "I like him. I'll take him".

Classes were easy for Harry as they had been the previous week. First class was charms where Professor Flitwick had them repeat the incendio for this lesson. While most were done with incendio, he wanted every student to be perfect in it. Harry also submitted his homework scroll to the tiny teacher and it was a little more than the two foot parchment that he required however after concisely articulating all the information he wanted to convey, it was not easy to contain it within 2 feet. He had not put any special effort into the essay but had made sure to write everything in it that was asked of him. Ron had submitted a scroll which was barely 2 feet and his handwriting was such that if Harry were to write only that much in his parchment, it would be six inches short of the required length. Neville's was an even 2 feet but his words were small and cursive. Hermione had submitted 3 feet of parchment and Harry wondered what she had included in it to exceed the required length by a full foot. This class he sat with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. Susan, he found was fun to be around and liked pranks while Hannah was equally funny however always looked towards Susan to lead her.

As they were talking, Harry asked her in an undertone, "Susan, how do you feel about a prank?"

"It sounds like fun to me".

"Good, because I will need your help for one. I am planning to announce my pranking debut at school".

She asked him, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh? Madam Bones has not told you yet that my father and his friends were the best pranksters in this school?"

She gave him a smirk, "Yeah, she mentioned it once but I thought you would take a different route and be the studious type".

He scrunched up his forehead, "Where is the fun in that? I plan to make our 7 years full of joy and laughter. So, are you in?"

"Of course I am. I hope it will be worth it".

In Herbology, Professor Sprout introduced them to Spiky Bush, which was a bush with large piercing spikes growing out of it.

She began to speak, "This is the spiky bush which is used in a couple of potions as a stabilizing agent. It has no other use. The plant has a defense mechanism which activates when one tries to harm it. The plant shoots spikes at anyone in the vicinity. If a spiky bush is attacking you, you have to use the incendio charm on them. I advise you to stand well back when you use the incendio charm on them so you do not get hit by the flying spikes".

For Herbology, he sat with Ron and Neville, "Hello you two. How were two days without me?"

Neville answered, "Very wearing. I had to answer a hundred questions about you and why you were at the ministry. I heard nothing, saw nothing and said nothing".

"Well then Neville, you are in for a treat. The plans for our debut are in place. Trust me when I say that we will have such a spectacular opening that if anyone knew about it, we would be expelled post-haste".

Neville grinned and then set about destroying the plant. They took turns at trying to destroy the bush from a distance. Neville outperformed the others because he could take a shot at them from much closer than others. He had worked with the plant for years.

He sought the claws during lunch knowing they would not otherwise talk to him in class. As he had been assured of help by Lisa and Michael, he sat with them.

"Lisa, I distinctly remember that you had promised help to me for a prank. You had also complained that things were boring in the Eagle's nest. How do you feel about shaking up the order of things?"

Michael answered, "I believe I speak for both of us when I say that we are positively delighted with the idea. What is the plan?"

"I will let you know in due course however, be warned that this will not be as easy as it may sound to you. One mistake and you will jeopardize a lot of us".

"Challenge accepted, Harry".

In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall collected the homework assigned to them in the last class before she started, "In the last class, some of you accomplished the transfiguration. There are still many of you who could not. This lesson, we will revise what we studied in the last lesson".

That lesson was spent with Professor McGonagall singling him out and again upending a stack of match-sticks in front of him. Grumbling about the unfairness to Mandy and Su Li, he spent the lesson transforming the match sticks into needles.

That evening, Harry had planned for his revenge on Malfoy for the stunt he had pulled during the flying lesson. He had Neville smuggle out a vine of the Prickly bush during the class which was hidden inside his robes wrapped in his scarf.

They had tailed Malfoy to the library where they spent an hour on a table in the back watching him. Malfoy got tired of the library soon and as he was leaving, Harry took a few short-cuts and arrived before Malfoy on the way to the Dungeons. Neville uncovered the vine and they placed it in the middle of the corridor while making sure that there was no one around to see them. There was not even a portrait visible to them and after they had set the plant in place, he and Neville stood under the Invisibility Cloak directly in front of the vine, their wands out and ready. Soon enough Malfoy came their way flanked by his ever present goons, Crabb and Goyle. As he was nearing the spot, they each sent a stunner from under his cloak in the direction of Malfoy, shouting "Stupefy!" at the top of their voice. The stunners were not meant for Malfoy but Crabbe and Goyle who were just behind him. As they hit the ground with a thud, Malfoy whipped his wand out and sent a bludgeoning hex in their direction. Harry and Neville however had moved out of the spot seconds ago and the hex hit the vine instead.

Just as Professor Sprout had described, the plant's defense mechanism activated and fired a huge volley of spikes at Malfoy, peppering him with them. By the time that he realized what had happened and started to scream, he looked like a hedgehog with the spines on the wrong side.

Harry and Neville scurried away under the invisibility cloak as fast as they could because they knew that Malfoy's wailing would attract attention and cloak or not, this place was soon going to be too hot for them.

Mere seconds after they had vacated the corridor, Snape came running that way with cloak billowing behind him, his wand raised. When he understood the situation, he destroyed the vine by fire. He enervated, then interrogated Crabbe and Goyle. When they failed to provide any coherent answer, Snape sent them to their dorm. After they were on their way, he conjured a stretcher and levitated his godson into it, carrying him to the Hospital Wing. He vowed revenge on whoever had done this to Draco but he had no idea that things were just getting started.

**Hospital Wing**

Madam Pomfrey was about to go to bed when Severus entered the Hospital Wing levitating a stretcher and a student was in it, covered with what looked like spikes from a spike bush. As far as she knew, Herbology classes did not take place in the evenings nor did Severus Snape teach them. She had to wonder how this came to be.

"Severus, what happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I was in the potions dungeon inventorying the ingredients when I heard cries and found him in the corridor covered with spikes and a vine of spiky bush attacking him. There were two more students there who were stunned and unconscious but otherwise unharmed. I sent them to their dormitory. I will complain to Dumbledore that someone attacked my students".

She chided him, "Really Severus? Is that what you think? I have treated worse than this from the hands of your students. You never spoke up then. These are just spikes which I will get out of him in a trice and give him a dreamless sleep potion with something for pain. He should be fine by morning. I do not think you need to trouble Dumbledore about it but by all means, do as you see fit".

**Headmaster's Office**

Severus had disregarded Poppy's advice and went to complain to Dumbledore anyway. The Headmaster was sitting behind his desk lost in contemplation when Severus entered, bellowing, "Headmaster, someone attacked my students. I want the perpetrators to be punished".

"Calm down, Severus. Tell me what has happened?"

Severus recounted everything that had happened. Dumbledore sat thinking over things for a few moments before he started to speak, "Do you know the identity of the one who attacked Mr. Malfoy? Was there any portrait or ghost in that corridor who can help you in anyway?"

"No, Headmaster but I know the attacker used a stunner to render my students unconscious".

Dumbledore eyed him sceptically, "And you want the teachers to check everyone's wand to find out if they used a stunner recently? Really?"

Now that Dumbledore asked him, Snape realized that this was a silly thing to do. Hogwarts had hundreds of students and a stunner was a really common and easy spell. The chances of finding a wand that had fired a stunner recently was near absolute certainty and that would be a lot of work to prove nothing.

He was about to leave, when Dumbledore stopped him, "Severus, before you go, I have been informed that you had some disagreement with Mr. Potter- Black. You deducted points from his house, despite him giving you all the correct answers. Also that you ordered the students to start brewing without first teaching them any of the basics. Severus, do I have to tell you every year that I cannot save you all the time. You have every year provoked the students who complained against your conduct and I saved you but not this time. If it were any other student, I may have been able to do something but Harry has Lord Black behind him who hates you and will stop at nothing to get back at you. Now Sirius is also free and how do you think he will react if he finds that you are mistreating his godson? Besides, it is essential to the standards of this school that students receive proper instruction. Even for many new students from wizarding families, your class is the first time they have ever tried to brew a potion. You must teach them the basics if you expect any of them to learn something from your class. If you cannot mend your ways, I will have to restrict you to NEWT students and hire another teacher to teach students from first year to fifth years. Another thing I do not understand is what is your problem with Mr. Potter-Black? I have seen the memory of your interaction with him and I am disappointed. Why do you refuse to understand that he is not his father or his mother? He is much more than either of them. If I have to predict then within a year, he will have the students following him just because he is an interesting person. I am letting you go with a warning this time but I do not want another complaint. Do I make myself clear?"

Snape sneered, "Yes Headmaster. Also, if you will remember that I did not want this job but you asked me to do it. If I had my way, I would have been gone all those years ago".

Dumbledore said sternly, "You know as well as I do that there is no place on Earth that Voldemort will not find you when he returns. You are here as much for your protection as for teaching any students. Also remember you had made a promise to me and to yourself. If you have forgot it, then pull a memory and watch it again. As talented a potioneer as you are, you will change your attitude towards the students. No one deserves your hate because they have done you no harm".

* * *

**A/N- **Hello guys. First of all, let me apologise. When I updated chapter 4, I deleted the 100 words long introduction which had nothing to do with the story. Due to that most of my regular readers could not read that one or they did not realize that another chapter had been uploaded. If you have not yet read that chapter, I would encourage you to go back and read it and if you have read that but could not post your review, I would love a combined review of the previous chapter and the present one.

Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter and gave such awesome comments. I am gratified.


	6. Chapter 6

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Harry and Neville returned to the Gryffindor Common Room sometime before Curfew. The common room was almost deserted except for a few older students including Fred and George. The twins noticed them coming in and asked, "Where were you blokes?"

Harry and Neville sat down in a couple of chairs near the fire. The twins joined them.

Neville smirked and said in a low voice, "We just came back from giving Malfoy a taste of his own medicine".

George (or was it Fred) asked, "Meaning?"

Harry answered, "If you fine blokes were to look at the Marauder's Map now, you will find that he is in the Hospital Wing".

Fred asked him suspiciously, "What did the two of you do to him?"

Harry grinned, "It's not so much what we did to him, but rather more what he did to himself. We just sort of, shall we say, gave him an opportunity. If you want the details, you'll have to go and see him for yourself".

The twins eagerly left for the hospital wing the next instant while Harry and Neville decided to turn in for the night. It had been a tiring day indeed.

Classes had begin to settle into a routine. The teachers introduced new things to them as they learned what was taught previously. McGonagall moved on to a new topic after she was sure that everyone could change a matchstick into a needle. The next thing she taught them was how to transfigure a mouse into a snuffbox. She gave them a mouse each and showed them the proper movement, taught the incantation, gave a demonstration and then set them to it.

This time Harry was sitting with Lisa and Corner. They were practicing the incantation under their breath while Harry tried to form an image of a snuffbox in his mind. He had seen many and had liked one. It was circular in shape with intricate designs and the lid was in two portions with one being permanently attached to the rest of the body while the second half attached to the permanent portion by latches. After he had worked out the details, he waved his wand in a precise movement and the mouse transformed into a snuffbox as he had imagined.

McGonagall saw his transfiguration and picked up the box to examine it in detail. After being satisfied with the final product, she proclaimed, "5 points to Gryffindor".

After he was done, he turned to Corner who was still waving his wand, trying to get the desired transfiguration. In a couple more tries, he was successful. Lisa was close and when she had finished Harry started addressing them, "For the prank, either I need to get into your tower or you will have to do it by yourselves".

Lisa asked, "Who else is involved in it Harry?"

"I have a couple of friends in Hufflepuff and in my own house, besides the two of you. I'm leaving Slytherin out of it. It will make it look like they are the perpetrators".

Wednesday morning, during breakfast the owl post started coming in, Harry noticed six large owls flying toward him carrying a package with Hedwig in the lead, carrying a letter in her talons. Harry and Ron, who was sitting beside him, took the package before it fell and relieved the owls of their charge. Hedwig dropped the letter which he opened first before opening the package. It read:

_"Dear Mr. Potter-Black,_

_This is your new Nimbus 2000 which I have ordered for you in the hopes that it will help you score some great victories for Gryffindor. Do not open it right now but take it to your dorm. Oliver Wood will be waiting for you at the Quidditch pitch this evening at 7:00._

_Minerva M. McGonagall"_

Harry read the letter quickly and slipped it into his robes looking at the staff table where Minerva raised her glass to him subtly. Grinning inwardly he picked up the broom to go to his dorm with Neville and Ron following him. When they were at the Great Stair case, Malfoy flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, blocked their path and stopped them.

Malfoy tried to snatch the package from Harry's hands, "Who sent that to you, Potter-Black?"

Harry was not going to waste too many words on the blond ponce, "Why should I tell you that? When I last checked, you were no friend to me".

Malfoy had guessed that it was a broom and said sneering, "That's a broom. You won't keep it for long. The moment I tell a teacher that you have a broom, it will be confiscated anyway. No first year is allowed to bring their own brooms here".

Ron grinned and said, "That's not just any broom. It is a Nimbus 2000. What do you have at home? A Comet 260, perhaps? Comets are flashy but the Nimbus is in a class by itself".

Malfoy seethed, "You think that's funny? I don't even need to ask what you have, Weasley. Your entire family fortune could not buy the twigs on this broom".

Harry was about to retort when Professor Flitwick came down from the Great Stair Case and squeaked, "I trust you boys are not fighting?"

Malfoy shouted, "Potter-Black has been sent a broom, Professor!"

Flitwick replied, "Yes, the Headmaster told me about the special circumstances. Which broom is it, Mr. Potter-Black?"

"It's a Nimbus 2000 sir", Harry stated with the proud air of ownership.

Ron added, "It's thanks to Malfoy here sir, that Harry made the team".

As Flitwick walked away, Malfoy growled at Harry, "That's it! I challenge you to a Wizard's duel".

Harry replied with an air of absolute indifference, "Very well. I accept your challenge. Neville will be my second. Who will be yours?"

"Crabbe will be my second.", Malfoy replied. "Tomorrow at mid-night in the Trophy Room".

As Malfoy left, Ron started, "It is true that you got on the team because of him".

Harry heard someone behind making noises of disappointment him and turned to find Hermione frowning. "What is the matter, Hermione?"

"Is that your prize for rule breaking?" she asked, pointing at the long, slender package.

Before Ron or Neville could say anything, he started, "Hermione, I did not break any rules at all. I was only retrieving the remembrall which he had picked up and would have destroyed.". They walked away before she could retort.

She kept badgering them all day that they should not break any rules by going to the duel. They were going to lose points for Gryffindor and get detention or expelled.

Harry put up with her ramblings until lunch hour when he finally had to get her to stop, "Hermione, do you even know what a Wizarding duel means? What it signifies? If I did not accept his challenge, it would have impugned my honour. It is a match between equals. To not turn up for a duel after accepting a challenge is as bad as forfeiting it. It is an admission of cowardice and hugely dishonorable. I will go and you are not going to stop me".

**History of Magic**

In the class for History of Magic that day, Harry had brought a book on defensive magic with him which he was reading while sitting at the back, paying no attention to Binn's droning. He had realized that the ghost would not notice even if a riot were taking place right under his nose. Rather than wasting a period with Binns, he had decided to use it for better purposes. He only paid attention to know what Binns was teaching and then started reading the defensive magic book. Hermione glared at him a few times exasperated that he was not paying attention in class but he was beyond caring now.

He had observed that the Ravenclaws who were sharing the class with him were also reading some books other than History of Magic.

After the class was over, Hermione cornered him, "Harry how could you not pay attention in class? This is not the class in defensive magic".

Harry smirked, "He was teaching about the wizard's council, right? Do you know that the Houses teach these things to their heirs as part of their history? Most of the houses date back to the time of Merlin and the fall of Camelot when the Wizarding Council was established. However, for your own curiosity, Professor Binns does not tell us anything which is not already contained in the book "A History of Magic" written by Bathilda Bagshot who had taken notes earnestly for 7 years when she was a student and wrote that book. We do not even need to hear him to pass this subject".

Hermione riffled through the pages of the book and realized that he was right. To say she was disappointed would be wrong because she looked furious. However furious with whom, it was not clear.

After dinner, Harry arrived at the Quidditch Pitch five minutes before Wood was supposed to be there. He could not wait to fly on his broom. He took off to take a lap around the field and was enjoying flying for 10 minutes when Wood turned up and shot green sparks from his wand, calling him down.

"I can see what McGonagall meant by you being a natural on a broom. With a seeker like you on the team, we are sure to win the cup this year. Now as you have told me that you have been to see some games before, do you know any moves?"

Harry proudly told him that he could do a lot of them with the wronski feint being his favorite. Wood's eyes opened wide in surprise with everything that he told him. "Wow Harry, I did not realize that you are this talented. Practices are Monday and Thursday evenings at 7:00. I will expect you to be here then.". He brought out some golf balls, "Since it is dark and I don't want to lose the snitch, I have some balls here which I will be throwing in all directions. I want you to catch them".

**The Trophy Room**

The next day was quiet and the classes went on without any incident while he and Draco glared at each other every time their eyes met. Harry knew that the blond ponce was trying to cause trouble for him but he was unfazed.

Harry had been warned during the day by Daphne in a parchment she had managed to send through Neville that Malfoy had been bragging about the duel and that he was not going to turn up for it. Harry had not expected any better of the blond ponce but chose to turn up anyway. He wanted to see what he had cooked up for him and pay him back with interest later.

Hermione had stopped pestering them last night. When Harry told her that he would not change his mind, she had threatened to tell a Prefect which would have been a disaster. So, Harry told her a few hours later that they had dropped the idea of going and returned to their dorm.

When they descended that night to go to the trophy room, they found Hermione was still awake with her nose buried in a fat tome. There was still sometime before it was mid-night, so they decided to wait her out. They knew she could not stay awake that long if she wanted to be fresh for classes the next day. They too were worried about classes the next day but tonight was a matter of honour. There was no way that they were going to let Malfoy get away with smearing Harry's reputation.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, they descended to the common room to find Hermione slumped in her chair in front of the fire. Harry, Ron and Neville soundlessly opened the portrait hole and stepped out.

The Fat lady said drowsily, "You three better watch out. Filch came this way not too long ago".

They did not stop to answer her.

Minutes later, they reached the trophy room where they hid behind one of the cabinets waiting for Draco. Midnight came and went and there was no sign of Draco. Harry decided to let Lord Black know about it and to use the information as he would. As they were about to leave, the care-taker's cat, Mrs. Norris (honestly who picks names like that for a cat) came into the trophy room and Harry knew the caretaker would not be far behind. They heard him shuffling and coming towards the Trophy Room.

Harry mouthed to his friends, "Run!" They took off out of the other door of the trophy room.

They could hear Filch saying, "Smell them, my sweet. They should be here somewhere".

They ran down the stair case not caring if it changed and were running to get away from the caretaker. Harry had not stopped to think where they were going. They ended up near a piece of armour which Harry knew for sure was on the second floor and it meant that they were miles away from the trophy room and Filch.

Just then as if to aggravate their plight, Peeves came floating through the walls and cackled, "Ickle firsties, out of bed in the night. Filch should know about this".

Harry decided to face him calmly, "Peeves you do not need to give us up. We will be back in bed in a moment. No one will know".

Peeves cackled with laughter, "Peevsie will tell. It is for your own good, you know".

As Peeves opened his mouth to say something, Harry shot a jinx at him that Remus had taught him and Peeves was struck dumb as his tongue stuck fast to the top of his mouth. He flew away while clawing at his throat.

Harry turned to the others, "Now let's get out of here before someone else finds us".

Maybe it was just Harry's rotten luck or Filch had made good guesses but soon, they heard the slow meowing sound of the infernal cat, Mrs. Norris and Filch's footsteps right behind her. They started running again, taking the grand stair case all the while being conscious of the fact that Filch was right behind them. They ended up in a dead-end. There was no way out except a door.

"Now I've got you, little blighters. I will punish you", came Filch's voice.

Harry felt cornered. Ron tried to open the door at the end of the corridor but it was locked. Neville pushed him aside and cast 'Alohomora' and the door opened. They disappeared inside just before Filch rounded the corner.

"No worry, my sweet that they escaped. We will make do with others. The night is still young and many will be out of their beds", they heard Filch say and they could hear him walking away, shuffling.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close, guys. Let's go back to the tower now".

It was then that Neville noticed a low rumbling in the room. He nervously said, "Umm mates, do you hear what I hear?"

Harry turned to face the middle of the room and what he saw was enough to make him freeze in his tracks. There was a giant monstrous beast in the middle of the corridor. The beast was huge and had three heads like Cerberus the guardian of Hades, the underworld in Greek mythology. It had paws the size of dust-bin lids, eyes full of menace, and slobber drooling from all three of its giant, well fanged mouths. It was standing in the middle of the corridor growling for now, but Harry wasn't willing to bet his life that it would stay still for long.

Harry stared at the beast and whispered to Neville, "Open the door quietly and run. I'll be right behind you. DO NOT USE YOUR WAND or you might enrage the beast. I know Filch might be out there but I would rather take my chances with Filch than a Cerberus any day".

Harry kept his eye contact with the beast and waited while Neville who had found his Gryffindor courage had soundlessly opened the door and dragged Ron out with him. After the others were safely on the other side of the door, Harry took a quick look around the chamber to find what could be the reason to place such a beast in the castle. No one would be insane enough to bring a Cerberus and keep it in a place like this full of children unless they had some good reason. These legendary creatures were natural guardians. It must be guarding something. He could see that the dog had its paws on a trapdoor. Alright, whatever it was guarding was under that trap-door. With a Cerberus guarding, it was safe enough. That would have to do for now. Harry carefully backed out of the room, keeping eye contact with the giant, three-headed creature, until he was able to feel the door-knob at his back. He quickly flipped past the door and closed it behind him. The creature made a lunge at him at the last moment and Harry braced himself against the door. Neville already had his wand out and cast a locking charm. It was a solid door and the beast was unable to make it budge once it was locked again.

After the room was secured, Harry got his bearings and realized that they were on the forbidden floor. "Mates, we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. We are on the third floor, right corridor exactly where we were not supposed to come".

Neville smiled weakly, "At least we know now what Dumbledore had meant at the opening feast".

Ron asked, "Which bit are you talking about?"

"Remember he had declared 3rd floor, right side to be out of bounds unless one wanted to die a painful death. I think this was it.", said Neville.

"Maybe we should return to the common room and then we can continue our talk. I would hate for us to be caught after such an adventure".

Taking some of the short-cuts that he knew, they all walked up to the common room to find Hermione still slumped in her chair.

Harry told them to go on and nudged Hermione on the shoulder, "Hermione?"

She sleepily said, "Just five more minutes, mom".

Harry chuckled and putting his mouth near her ear, he said loudly, "Hermione! You missed a week's worth of classes!"

Hermione sat bolt upright, "I missed a week's worth of classes? How can I miss classes? Oh God, I am going to fail the exams. My career is going to be ruined".

When she got her bearings and realized she was in the common room, she said grumpily, "What was that all about, Harry?"

"Hermione, it is very late in the night. You will get stiff if you sleep in that chair anymore. You would not be at your best to attend the lectures. You really ought to go to your own bed".

As she went to her dormitory, he nonchalantly walked to his dorm, his mind still engaged in speculating about what might be beneath the trapdoor. While it was worth inspecting, it was not worth losing sleep over it. He figured he could think about it and have some idea as to what it was when he had time for more musings. He slipped into his bed and crashed to sleep promptly.

**THE DECREE**

The next day, Harry stood in the corridor which led to the dungeons while waiting for the ponce. Soon enough, he was seen coming with his posse of friends. Harry called him, "Malfoy".

He sneered, "You? Here by yourself? Are you looking for a beating, Potter-Black?"

Harry said coolly, "We need to have a word without your cronies around".

Pansy simpered, "I would not let him be alone, Potter-Black".

Harry said snidely, "Suits me fine, if you need a girl to fight your battles Malfoy. Your honour is even more impugned than I initially thought. I imagine Lord Black would have a lot to tell to Lord Malfoy when he writes to him about how his son has forfeited the family honour".

Now that Malfoy understood what Harry was talking about, his family honour, he could not send his cronies away fast enough. Pansy tried to protest, but she was sent away with Crabbe and Goyle. After he was certain that they would not be over-heard, Malfoy asked, "What is it, Potter-Black?"

Harry authoritatively said, "Heir Malfoy, yesterday you challenged me to a Wizard's duel and did not turn up to defend your honour. By your cowardly act, you have forfeited the duel and your honour. What's more, by sending Filch to catch me out of bed, you have compounded your offence. Therefore, in accordance with the traditions of the most ancient and noble houses, you must make reparations of my choice to regain your lost honour. How do you answer?"

Malfoy had a horrible, sick feeling. He had no idea that Potter-black even knew the rules and traditions surrounding wizarding duels. He had only thought to get Harry into detention. His little, childish plot had seriously back-fired and he didn't even want to think what this was going to cost him. he had no idea that Hadrian Potter-Black was sneaky like a Slytherin. He only had two options- either to forfeit his honour as Heir of Malfoy or pay reparations in the form he chose. The choice was simple. "I trust you have the decree with you?"

Harry produced a piece of parchment which said that Malfoy had forfeited a wizard duel to him and was making reparations to him in the form he chose in return of his honour which would have been impugned. Malfoy signed the parchment which Harry pocketed with glee. He was planning to send it to Lord Black who would make some good use of it.

**The Dungeons**

Today was Potions class again. Harry was in a mood to tangle with the Potions Professor. Dumbledore had not told him yet if he had talked with Snape but Harry was not going to stand by and let him teach in a most unprofessional manner.

When they entered the dungeons, the dungeon bat (the twins told him that was his nick-name) was waiting for them with a stack of books on his table. As they occupied their places, he started talking in his menacing tone, "I have been told that some of you dunderheads had trouble with brewing the simplest of potions for the reason of never having heard about Potions before the previous class. While I had hoped that you were all a little more bright minded than the students who started last year, I have been sorely disappointed. These books give you the introduction to the art of brewing potions while "A Thousand magical herbs and fungi" is a mandatory read for everyone who wants to be a potioneer. For today, you will be learning to take care of your equipment and then you will be trying to brew the cure of boils again. I expect all of you will be able to brew decent potions by the next class".

Harry knew about beginner's potions and had nothing to do for the first half of the class. Most of the rest of the students were diligently shuffling through the pages of the book, taking notes. While others tried to set their work station as the book dictated, Harry had his cauldron sitting on its burner, his ladles cleaned and kept neatly at the side. Harry had wanted charmed ladles because they saved a lot of time. But his potion master who had taught him the basics and a few potions had told him that charmed ladles took the fun out of brewing and sometimes, he needed to work with the ladle so, it was a good choice if he did not use charmed ladles until OWLs at least. He had the ingredients lined up and was chopping them up in exact amounts when Snape skulked up to him, "Potter-Black, what would happen if I were to over boil a potion which was supposed to be cooked on a low fire?".

"It would ruin the potion with no hope of salvaging it. It may also result in an explosion depending on the ingredients and other conditions.", he answered respectfully. He had decided that if the Dungeon Bat did not engage him in banter then he would not start it. As long as Snape was only asking questions which he was expected to know, he was okay.

"What would happen if I were to add porcupine quills to my cauldron before I took it off the fire?"

Harry sighed inwardly knowing Snape would not let him have a moment of peace regardless of what he may do. There was no way he could remain respectful with that attitude.

"You would get a face full of scalding hot steam from the potion and a trip to the infirmary with a melted cauldron as a bonus", Harry answered.

"5 points off Gryffindor, Potter-Black", he roared.

Harry said innocently, "Did I say something wrong Professor? Only a fool would add porcupine quills to a potion while it is still on the fire. For being a fool, they would deserve to have scalding hot potion in their face".

The rest of the lesson went without any further harassment at the hands of the Dungeon bat. Snape made sure that every student knew of the basics to be followed before they started potion brewing and then had them brew the cure for boils. Disappointing him, Hadrian Potter-Black was the first one who was able to successfully brew it though he was not ahead by a wide margin. Draco had been able to finish his brewing a mere a minute or two after him almost at the same time as Hermione Granger.

After the students had handed over their samples, Harry passed a piece of parchment to Daphne when no one was looking. It was for her to meet him in the library that evening after dinner. There were things they needed to discuss with the first being the trapdoor.

**The library**

As usual, they took a seat at the end of the library when Daphne arrived with Tracy in tow. She sat on a chair beside Harry without looking and then squealed when she realized who was sitting at the table. "Daph, why are we sitting with Hadrian Potter-Black and Neville Longbottom?"

Harry chuckled, "Miss Davis, Hadrian Potter-Black at your service. Daphne is here because she is my friend".

Tracy's mouth was still open in surprise, "When did you two even meet?"

"We have been friends for at least 6 years now, Miss Davis".

Tracy was glaring at her best friend, "You have been friends with Harry freaking Potter and you never thought to let me know? We have been friends since we were toddlers, Daph".

It was Harry who answered, "It was for my protection, Miss Davis. We wanted no one to know my whereabouts so her family was sworn to silence".

"Is that where you went on those holidays when you told me that you were visiting Germany, Italy, Greece and what not?"

Daphne smirked, "Now you are able to connect the dots, Tracy. Yes, we were going to meet him and spend holidays with him and Neville".

Neville who had been silent till then addressed her, "Miss Davis, it is a pleasure to meet you".

They had a good time talking about things in general but there was nothing more that he could say in Tracy's presence. She was a new variable and he did not trust anyone easily. He had passed a parchment to Daphne telling her that they would talk some other time about it since it was of sensitive nature and secrets were meant to be kept and not blurted out.

He also wanted to get to know a few more of the Slytherins because if he did not mingle with them, there was no way that he could have their support. There was also the prank which he had to execute and there was still a lot to do to set it up.

**The Prank**

The prank was to be executed in two steps. First was obtaining access to the common rooms of the other houses and second was to do what he had planned. The plan was to draw some runes on the entrance of the common rooms which would take effect a little later. Remus had told him about a couple of runes which they used in pranks in their time. Since one could do almost all magic by runes, he had seen fit to teach some of them to Harry i.e. only some symbols and told him what they did. He refused to teach him Runes in detail because he said that if he had taught everything beforehand then Harry would be terribly bored in classes.

The prank involved a timer rune which could be adjusted as per the caster's choice. There were runes in the cluster which would change the appearance or colour of people's skin. Harry did not feel that the prank was something big or momentous but it would announce to the school that they had arrived. The best thing was that the prank could not be countered by a finite and Remus had refused to tell him about how to counter it. When Harry asked him how he could undo it, the marauder smirked and told him that in an hour or two, it would wear off by itself, unless someone else figured out a way to counter it. In the Marauder's time, nobody had managed to figure that out. It was unlikely that anyone had figured out the counter since then.

He had decided that today would be the day and contacted his associates who were to work with him. Sometime after mid-night, he went to the Ravenclaw Tower where Corner and Turpin let him in. There was no portrait on the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower like the Gryffindor Tower but a bronze door knocker which asked questions when a student desired entrance. On the other side of the entrance, Michael had stunned all the portraits in the common room before he invited Harry inside because Harry had shared the little tidbit with him that the portraits were one way that the Headmaster kept an eye on the students. Harry etched the runes he had learnt from Remus and told Corner to power them after he had left or it would be prematurely activated. There was also an invisibility rune in the collection of runes and on being activated, the entire collection would become invisible meaning no one would be able to find it unless they knew some very advanced detection spells.

In Hufflepuff, he was led into the barrels by Bones and Hannah. Susan welcomed him with a big smile, "How are you Harry?"

"I am fine, Susan. Sorry, but I don't think this is the time for small talk. If anyone saw me in your House Common Room, I would land in detention for a week with Filch for doing nothing".

Hannah said, "She is like that, Harry. You tell me, what are we to do?"

"Have you stunned the portraits as I had asked?"

Susan gave him a wide grin, "Of course. I pretended not to know the stunning spell so I asked Cedric Diggory to teach it to me. Under the pretext of practicing what he had taught me, I have been firing stunners all around the room and stunned every single portrait".

"Brilliant idea, Susan. One might say you are a Slytherin under cover".

She gave him a mysterious half-smile, "you never know what can happen, Harry".

"Harry before you do whatever you have to, would you answer a few questions?" asked Hannah.

"Sure Hannah unless the questions are too personal.", he replied.

"Nothing like that, Harry but I wanted to know if you yourself would fall victim to this prank?"

"Of course I will. I have to show that I am as innocuous and naive as they think me to be", he replied smugly, "There can be no better misdirection than to make people think what you want rather than to let them arrive at different conclusions".

"Are you sure that no one will be caught in this?" Susan asked nervously.

"I don't think so, Susan. We are not using our wands, are we? There will be no magical signature to detect. There is no ghost around to see us. So, unless one of our associates blabbers on us, there is no way they can catch us.", he answered. "I would like to be a portrait on the wall when they are trying to figure out who is behind the prank".

After etching the runes on the inside of the entrance, Harry left telling Susan to tap the runic cluster with her wand. The power rune would draw power from the ley lines under the school and will work for 24 hours then cease to function after that. Since every student had to leave through the entrance of their common room to go to classes, everyone would fall victim to them before breakfast.

**Lion's Den**

Neville had borrowed Harry's Invisibility Cloak that evening to do his part in the prank. Percy Weasley who was a prefect always lingered in the common room till every student was in bed and so, he would be suspicious if Neville was not in bed by that time.

Neville had donned the invisibility cloak and trotted down to the common room. Without showing so much as the tip of his cherry wand, he stunned all the portraits one by one. After he was sure that they were all done, he started etching the runes as Remus had shown them. Over the years, Remus had grown as fond of him as he was of Harry and always tried to help him every way he could. Remus had taught him many things that Frank would have done, if he had been able. So Neville loved the older man as he would love an uncle.

As he was finished etching the runes, the portrait hole opened and Harry walked in. Neville took the cloak off, grinning, "All done Harry. We just need to tap the runes and it will be finished". He then realized that Harry was panting with exhaustion. "Harry mate, are you alright? Did something happen?"

"I ran into Peeves on the fifth floor. He was angry with me for the langlock and followed me until I got to the portrait of the fat lady, all the while shouting for Filch. I tell you Neville that I will pay him back for this".

Harry tapped the runes with his wand and they climbed to the dormitories without noticing the pearly form of Sir Nicholas who had seen everything that they were doing. The ghost had a sly smile on his face and his eyes were twinkling with amusement.

**The next day**

The next morning Dumbledore felt like he had gone back nearly 20 years in time which was nonsense because even the best time-turners could not take any one more than 5 hours back in time.

The mayhem had started in the morning when a couple of Ravenclaws who were early birds came to the Great Hall for breakfast. Some of them had greenish tinge to their skin, some had red skin but what was common was that every student was sporting some parts of an animal. Like Cho Chang had the ears of a panda while Marrieta Edgecombe looked like a coyote. The teacher prayed that it was an isolated incident but his hopes were dashed when student started trickling in and almost every student except the Slytherins had fallen victim to some kind of prank. Students were sporting all kinds of animal features with skin colours from every part of the rainbow. Even Dumbledore, who was used to the bizarre now, was amused.

The incident reminded him of the years gone by when James Potter and his associates used to run amok and terrorize the school. This particular prank was especially popular back then but none of the teachers remembered it being used with such magnitude. The Marauders had been caught and punished after Pettigrew ratted them out. He had cracked under the withering glare of Professor McGonagall.

When they graduated, Dumbledore and most of the teachers had breathed a sigh of relief that the biggest pranksters were gone but here it was again in its full glory. He looked around to see the reactions of the students and the staff. The students were bewildered or angry or fearful while a few of them were looking amused or even happy with this. Young Harry was clicking pics of everyone around and of the Great Hall in general.

There was no way for the teachers to find the perpetrators because Dumbledore knew it was the work of planning, co-ordination and precision. To be able to hex everyone and to do it effectively, they would need all of them at the same place which was nearly impossible to do without the teachers knowing. He also guessed that no wands were used to do anything in the prank because using wands would have been the biggest give-away.

He looked around at his colleagues to gauge their reactions. Sprout was looking at everyone so intently that she had forgotten that she had a piece of bacon on her fork as it slid to the table. Babbling was looking with interest perhaps trying to figure out what could have been used to cause this. Aurora did not seem to care and was indulging in her breakfast. Snape was looking at the scene with disbelief and sneering. Dumbledore understood why he would feel so. After all, he had been one of the most frequent victims of this when he was a student. McGonagall was staring at Hadrian Potter-Black intensely. She had perhaps arrived at the same conclusion that Albus had. Hadrian had something to do with the prank but he was not sure exactly what and he also was sure that he was not alone in this. Students from all three houses were complicit in this act. Flitwick was looking at the students amused and perhaps enjoying it a little too much. It was a known fact that Filius loved pranks. Kettleburn was indifferent which was expected because he was not of the sort to bother unless it involved one of his creatures. The students were murmuring and getting impatient and Dumbledore needed to do something about it.

He stood, "As I understand it, three fourths of the school have been made the victims of a prank. Since it is not possible for students to attend classes in this mind-set and make the most of their education, it has been decided that there will be no classes today. You all are to return to your dormitories or go to the library or do as you please. Meanwhile, the teachers will try to find a solution to this predicament of the students. Prefects please join us in the staff room after breakfast".

**The Staff Room**

The teachers had been joined by the Prefects in the Staff Room. The Head Boy was a seventh year Slytherin named Marcus Silianus. Dumbledore addressed him, "What have you found out about the incident in question, Mr. Silianus?"

"Headmaster from what I have been able to glean after talking with other prefects, the changes happened to the students after they exited their common rooms. This did not happen at once but almost everyone reckons that the changes happened 10 minutes after they exited their common rooms. Some of the prefects went back to their common rooms to ascertain if there was something which had caused the changes but they were able to find nothing. Whoever did it knew a lot of complicated magic. I feel that it is beyond the talents of the prefects to get to the root of the problem".

Dumbledore nodded, "Astute observations, Mr. Silianus. You have already done more than I thought you would have been able to do. I will hear from the prefects now as to whether they have any ideas about how it happened".

The Hufflepuff prefect went first. "Headmaster, from what I have been able to find, it was done according to a careful plan. Whoever was behind it made sure not to leave any traces of their identity. I have asked the Fat Friar if he knew who had caused it but he told me that he was not in the common room last night. None of the portraits which hang in the common room were of any help because someone had stunned them. When I enervated them, they told me that some student had stunned all of them while she was learning the stunning spell". He had seen Cedric teaching Stupify to Susan last night but he knew Susan's family history. In his mind, Susan was the niece of the head of DMLE. It was unthinkable that she would be involved in such pranks. Perhaps, she also did not know that she could stun the portraits. Hell, she was not even able to make the spell work for the first few tries when he was teaching her.

"What is the name of the first year student, Mr. Orpington?"

"Susan Bones, Headmaster".

"You did well, Mr. Orpington. Now I will hear Miss Clearwater's observations about what happened in the Ravenclaw Tower".

"Headmaster, I did not find much difference from what Alderic has already said. The portraits in the Ravenclaw common room were also stunned so they do not remember anything and the Grey Lady has not been around for days. When all the students had retired to their beds, a few first year students were sitting in the Common Room working on their Potions homework. They have reported to have seen or heard nothing.". For Penelope, it was unthinkable that first years would be able to do something which many OWL students could not. She was a Ravenclaw fifth year and she could not even begin to ascertain what had been done to achieve this. Besides, the first years she had mentioned were very sweet and timid. There was no way they could do this.

Dumbledore nodded however he asked, "What were the names of the first year students who were awake after everyone had gone to bed?"

"Michael Corner and Lisa Turpin, Headmaster".

He nodded, "Your report was satisfactory Miss Clearwater. Now, Mr. Weasley what did you find out?"

Percy puffed out his chest proudly, "Headmaster, I did not find anything more than what has already been told here. However I would like to add that there were no students in the Common Room when I went to bed. I did not hear any sort of commotion that warranted any investigation on my part during the night. The first thing that I realized this morning was that every portrait had been stunned. The House Ghost Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Purpington Nick was present in the common room all night and he claims to have seen nothing".

Dumbledore nodded while he inwardly was connecting all the dots together. True it had looked like precision execution at first but after taking together all the details the prefects had managed to unearth, it was clear that the perpetrators had made many mistakes. There were a few links still missing and he was reluctant to put them together. It has been a long time since the castle had seen so much action. Perhaps he would sit back and enjoy these pranks with a bowl of sherbet lemons at his side, of course.

He dismissed the prefects and then started talking to the teachers, "I would like to hear what you all think about it".

Kettleburn started, "It might have been impressive but it was just a prank someone managed. I would admit I am amazed by the magnitude but honestly I do not care a bit about it".

Dumbledore chuckled, "Of course. Anything less in magnitude than the debacle of the dramatization of 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' would not impress you, Silvanus".

Snape drawled, "I think Hadrian Potter-Black is behind it somehow. This is a trick that his father would have done".

McGonagall snapped, "And what makes you think so, Severus? Do you have any proof to support your claims? How would you explain that he got entrance to the common rooms of other houses? How can you say that he was out of the Common Room when by the admission of the Gryffindor Prefect, every student was in their dormitory by mid-night?"

Dumbledore interrupted them, "Severus and Minerva, please do not banter amongst yourselves. We have to find out who is behind this. However I agree with Minerva, Severus. Mr. Weasley told us that every student was in their bed already by mid-night. Or do you think that he is involved in it?"

That was a rhetorical question because everybody knew that Percy was the last Weasley one would expect to engage in pranks or to lie to teachers. He respected authority like he would respect Merlin.

Flitwick squeaked, "I do not care who did this. It was magic worth seeing and to be able to execute it with such precision is more amazing".

Dumbledore looked at Severus, "So, it is agreed that we will try to find the one behind it however I would warn all of you not to try any unapproved measures in your quest for truth because the repercussions would be devastating".

The prank went on all day long. The prank would have worn off after two hours but the students did not know that it was renewed every time a student passed through the entrance of their common room. So, almost everyone had been cursed at least twice passing through the entrance of their common rooms. The Weasley twins and their friend, Lee Jordan had put their heads together to find out who had pranked 3/4th of the school at once. This was far beyond the magnitude of what they had ever done. Also there was no real hint as to who the perpetrator was. They sorely wished that they still had the Marauder's Map. With it, they would have noticed last night if students were in places where they ought not to be. But Harry had asked for his property back. It was true that they could have refused him but he had proven that he was the heir of the legacy of the Marauders. What was more, he had proven it by communicating with the map amicably.

They had some suspicion that he might have been the one behind it. But then they did not know how he could enter the common rooms of other houses. They had not been able to do it despite being the pranksters in residence for 3 years now. There was no way he could do it. He did not have the knowledge to pull off a prank like that. They were also impressed with how the hex renewed itself when one left their Common Room. They had figured that something had been done to charm the entrances to make the prank work but even after a careful inspection and a lot of effort, they had not been able to find exactly what was done.

Harry had chosen to spend the day outside on the grounds simply because he knew the prank would be renewed every time someone passed through the entrance of their common room. As it was, he expected that McGonagall would be inspecting the Common Room and making inquiries of her own. So would Sprout and Flitwick but not Snape. Snape would not be bothered because his precious snakes had not been affected.

Harry was sitting with his accomplices, discussing the fallout from the pranks. There had been several funny reactions to the prank. They had chosen a spot on the far side of the black lake where nobody could easily see them. As a precaution, Harry employed the device which concealed people's presence from others. They were able to talk freely, without worrying about eavesdroppers or uninvited guests.

Michael was saying, "This was fun Harry. We loved it. What is the next one?"

Susan added, "You should have seen the looks on the faces of the Hufflepuffs. They were baffled, amused, angry and surprised. Some were openly appreciating the ones who did it while others were vowing revenge. We will have to be careful so that we are not caught".

Harry turned to Lisa, "How was that for stirring things up, Lisa?"

She grinned, "You have set the bar very high indeed. It makes me wonder what you will do to top this one".

Hannah added, "Have you thought about your next prank, Harry?"

Harry smiled, "Thinking about the next one already, Hannah? Take a brief rest and enjoy our success before we move on to the next one".

Neville playfully hit him on the shoulder, "Mate, I think you should tell them. The suspense is unnecessary".

Harry mock-sighed, "Since Longbottom is being so pushy, the next trick is for the Serpents. I don't want them to feel left out. Pretty soon the school will have its laugh at them".

"And pray tell what have the serpents done to you?" said Daphne Greengrass who had arrived there with Tracy.

"What are you doing here, Greengrass?", asked Ernie curiously.

She gave him a smirk, "I think I am meeting with my friends".

Lisa said, "Sorry, Greengrass, I do not remember that any of us have been your friend previously. But, you are welcome to join us if you will".

Harry said amusedly, "Oh yes! I do not remember either if we have been friends previously".

Daphne's eyes turned slit like and she was ready to pounce on Harry to beat him to a pulp.

Neville poked him on his shoulder, "Stop messing with her. Do you not know how nasty she can get when her anger is roused?"

Harry raised his hands in surrender, "Sorry, Daphne. I was just jesting around". Then he addressed the others, "Everyone, I trust you know these two ladies, Daphne of House Greengrass and Tracy of House Davis. Daphne is one of my oldest friends with Neville here. She has been around me, harassing me, pestering me for all these years. It was only my Gryffindor courage that I could bear it all and can still call her my friend".

Daphne had enough and started smacking him about the head with her hands while the others laughed. After things had settled, Daphne turned to the group, "So what is your problem with Serpents?"

"Nothing really but most of them look excessively gloomy, pretentious and try to look too dignified. In my opinion, they ought to loosen up a little", Harry replied.

"I would concede that you have a point there Harry but I trust that me and Daphne will be spared from this next trick whatever it may be?" asked Tracy.

"Sorry, Tracey, that would be a bad idea. Snape may turn on you both accusing you of being responsible for it. Why do you think Neville looks like a bull while I have antlers like a stag? Or Lisa is looking like a fox or Michael is looking like an owl for that matter? I do not know if you noticed but none of us have been spared and it kept others from looking at us too closely", Harry calmly replied.

Daphne, looking toward the castle said, "Perhaps your efforts to avoid suspicion have not been as successful as you could have hoped. I can see McGonagall coming this way and she does not look happy".

As the rest of the group followed Daphne's gaze, they saw Professor McGonagall coming their way. Daphne and Tracy made their escape. Harry decided that he would rather face Professor McGonagall now than try to run.

When she came upon them, she observed every student and said, "It is good that I found you all here. Professor Dumbledore wants to see all of you in his office in 10 minutes. The password to his office is 'Sherbet Lemon'".

Harry spent the next ten minutes, making his way to the gargoyle at the end of the second floor hall, trying to figure out where his plan had gone wrong. They had left no wand signatures. None of them had been around when the spells took effect. There were no witnesses. They even fell victim to their own prank to avert suspicion. How could Dumbledore have found out? Somehow, he did. There was nothing to do but to face him now.

**Headmaster's Office**

As they walked to the Headmaster's office, Harry talked to his friends in an undertone. "I do not know if any of you are adept at Occlumency but Dumbledore can read your mind like an open book. Without casting any spell, he can see the surface thoughts in your mind. You need to avoid making eye contact with him. Concentrate on thinking about one of your classes so that he can't read anything about the prank".

After making their way past the gargoyle and up the moving spiral stairs, they were sitting before Dumbledore. Neville and Harry employed Occlumency. Harry had his favorite Quidditch match playing in the forefront of his mind. Neville was reciting everything he knew about plants, herbs and fungi. The two of them regarded the Headmaster with polite interest while the other four gave their attention to every portrait, book and curious object in the room. Dumbledore surveyed every one of them critically for a long time before he started speaking, "I trust that you all know why you have been summoned here. I have received some information regarding the pranks that were done last night. I daresay that I did not had crucial information to find out who was responsible at first however within the last hour, I have come into some information which points me towards all of you".

Harry asked him, "If I may ask, Headmaster, what is that information?"

He chuckled good-naturedly, "There was a pattern to the pranks, Mr. Potter-Black. For one there were no witnesses. For two, all of the portraits in the Common Rooms of all the houses had been stunned so they saw nothing. For three, there was no house ghost who saw anything otherwise. I was completely befuddled until the prefects started reporting. Miss Penelope told me that Mr. Corner had been seen studying the stunning spell a few days earlier in the common room. As I understand neither Professor Flitwick nor Professor Quirrell have taught it to their first year students so there was no reason for him to be curious about it. Similarly Mr. Orpington reported that Miss Bones had been seen learning the charm from Mr. Diggory. In her enthusiasm to learn the spell, she had stunned all the portraits but not once had her spells found a student. Imagine my surprise when I floo-called Madam Bones and here I will quote her '_I have taught all the basic spells to her, Dumbledore_'. I again had to ask myself why she would pretend to not know about it. I received nothing from the portraits in the Gryffindor Common Room so I was flummoxed about who could have done it when help came from an unexpected direction. Peeves, the poltergeist came to me to inform me that Mr. Potter-Black had run into him on the fifth floor sometime around mid-night. I recalled Mr. Weasley had told me that all students were in their beds by 11:00 so obviously his information was wrong. The rest of the story was filled in by the Grey Lady who told me that Hadrian Potter-Black had been welcomed into the Ravenclaw tower by Mr. Corner and Miss Turpin here. From there it was not hard to put the pieces together".

Lisa was looking at him open-mouthed, "You should have been sorted into Ravenclaw for your wits".

Dumbledore chuckled good-naturedly, "Indeed, Miss Turpin, the sorting hat debated this with me but it agreed that I had other qualities which were more prominent and I was well-placed into Gryffindor". He then adopted a serious demeanor, "As you all know, breaking rules is punishable and you all broke too many rules to count last night. I have been asked to hand the punishment to you all for your misdeed and I have decided that 20 points apiece from each of you and detention with your Heads of House for two nights will be sufficient". His eyes twinkled and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at that moment, "I hope you will be more careful next time and will not leave a rather easy trail to follow. I would hate to see it being curbed. Now you all can go back to the Great Hall for dinner".

As they were leaving, Dumbledore said, "Before I forget, take 5 points each for a prank well executed".

**Defense Master's Office**

Professor Quirrell was nervous. Things were not going the way he wanted and time was running out. He had been on the trail of Nicholas Flamel and Perenell Flamel for a month. A couple of times, he had almost reached the stone when the old fool meddled with his plans. Dumbledore had removed the stone to another location. When he finally traced it to a high security vault in Gringotts and was able to access it, Dumbledore had already removed the stone earlier that same day. Now he was keeping it directly under his nose. Exactly where, it was not clear.

He had also heard about Wormtail being found in the castle and had been very angry. The treacherous rat had been living with wizards for years in relative comfort and Lord Voldemort was condemned to a wraith like existence. The greatest dark lord was reduced to a wraith which could not even hold a wand and his followers were living as if nothing had happened. None of them had tried to find him all these years.

Lord Voldemort who for the moment had taken residence on his turban remembered the agony he had to go through to remain alive and to heal from the injury which was caused to him at Godric's Hollow. It had taken him years before he could stop feeling the excruciating pain which came to him. In all those moments of unbearable pain, he had cursed the name of the mudblood Lily Potter and her hell spawn of a son- Harry Potter. He also rued the one time that he had shown mercy to one of his minions. He had granted a boon to Severus to spare her life when Severus told him that he fancied her. If only he had not given that boon or cast the killing curse at the boy without killing the mother, he would not have been reduced to this pathetic form where everything he did was a mountainous task in itself.

In order to be mobile and to stay alive in something more substantial than mere existence, he had possessed Nagini. Where she had come from, he did not know. He gave a part of his soul to her for safe-keeping. That had been the second great folly of his life. His soul was already weakened from being broken into pieces far too many times. The strain had very nearly caused him to pass into the near nonexistence where he was neither living nor dead. Not having died but never able to get a body. Nagini had been his final horcrux. To create her, he had to kill a muggle. Killing a muggle was something he considered beneath him but killing him had been onerous and he had almost died. After Nagini, he knew that he could not make another horcrux.

He had no followers either. In this weakened form, he knew that he could not trust any of them to keep him from the ministry. They had spent a decade free from his shackles and they would not willingly return to him. Lucius was a crafty businessman who only looked after his own interests. Barty Crouch Jr. had perished in Azkaban. The few, the faithful, Rookwood, Travers, Rowle, Bellatrix, Dolohov, Rabbastan, Rodolphus were all rotting in Azkaban, rather than living free as lying cowards.

He would reward them when he returned into a body and broke them out of prison but right now, his primary concern was to obtain a body and for that he needed the thrice damned stone.

Another thing on his list was to kill the bane of his existence- Hadrian Potter-Black. The boy had to be killed to cleanse the taint that Lord Voldemort had been vanquished by a child who could not hold a wand. He will give the boy a gruesome death that the world will see but right now, he wanted a body again.

* * *

**A/N- so this is it for this chapter, folks. I loved your reviews for the last chapter and I await more. I will try to post more quickly for this story now. Please let me know what you think of the story yet.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Fourth Floor**

Harry and Neville were waiting for Daphne where they had decided to meet in an abandoned room on the fourth floor. Daphne came in the room and Harry locked the door with a locking charm.

Daphne spoke first, "What's up with all this cloak and dagger stuff, Harry?".

"Daph, a few days ago, me, Neville and Ronald Weasley stumbled across the secret being kept on the third floor which the Headmaster had warned us about at the welcome feast".

He did not speak for a few moments, trying to get a rise out of her knowing she would snap at him. She did not disappoint him. Her eyes had turned slit like, her forehead scrunched in anger, her wand twirling. She said in a cold demanding voice, "Will you speak further or do you need to be persuaded?"

Harry chuckled, "Don't start Daphne". He turned to Neville, "Minion, would you do the honours?"

Neville mock-scowled at him, "Minion? Me? I thought it was your turn to be the minion today".

Harry chuckled, "Sorry mate. With her, you are always going to be the minion".

"Oh right", Neville drawled and suddenly noticed colour rising in Daphne's cheeks. Hastily he said, "Alright. As you know Malfoy challenged Harry to a wizarding duel and I was his second. We went to the trophy room and Ronald tagged along out of morbid curiosity I suppose. Just like you told us, Malfoy did not turn up. Filch and his infernal cat did. We had to run for it. We wound up cornered at the end of a corridor with no way out but a locked door. I unlocked the door and the three of us got through it before Filch and his cat could get around the corner to spot us. As it turned out, we were in the very place that Dumbledore told us to stay away from at the start of term feast. That was when we realized that we were in the same room as the biggest dog any of us have ever seen. And if that wasn't bad enough, the slavering beast had three heads!"

She gasped in shock, "What! A Cerberus in the school? What was Dumbledore thinking?"

Harry took the narrative from there, "To answer your question, we still haven't questioned Dumbledore about what he was thinking. While Neville and Ron made their escape, I took one more look around and noticed that the dog had its massive paws on a trap-door. I figured that whatever had been in that vault at Gringotts and Hagrid blurted out had been removed earlier that same day, is what that Cerberus is guarding".

She listened to everything and then asked, "What do you think it could be?"

"We don't know. We have brainstormed on this for a long time but we don't have enough clues to even make a good guess. I feel that it is not something we should concern ourselves with. I just wanted to keep you in the loop about what we have been up to".

She nodded, "What about Malfoy? Did you do something about him? He forfeited a wizarding duel to you".

Harry gave her his best lop-sided grin, "I made him sign a decree for me. I imagine Lord Black will have some use for it".

She grinned in response.

**Black townhouse**

Lord Black was sitting for dinner when an owl knocked on the window outside the kitchen in the Townhouse. With a flick of his wand the window opened and the owl flew straight to him and extended its leg to him. Recognising the Hogwarts crest, he opened the letter and started reading,

_"Lord Black,_

_This is to inform you that your ward Hadrian Potter-Black was found to be involved in mischief making in the school in concert with students from other houses. Working with them he broke curfew, accessed Common Rooms of other Houses, and did a prank upon 3/4th of the school at once. This prank caused the students to have their skin colour changed and display animal parts instead of their natural human ones. The resulting disruption forced us to cancel classes for the day. _

_After an investigation in which the students involved were identified and proved guilty beyond doubt, the Headmaster has penalized the guilty parties by deducting 20 points each from their respective houses and sending all of them to detention with their heads of house for two evenings._

_This letter is being written to you in the hope that you will discipline him for his behaviour._

_Minerva M. McGonagall_

_Deputy Head Mistress, Head of Gryffindor House_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"_

Arcturus read the letter in full and handed it to Remus, "Your nephew has already started to sow terror in the hearts of the teachers".

Remus took the letter and read it through at once. When he was done, he was sporting an ear to ear grin. "He didn't take long to get started, did he?"

Arcturus snorted, "I am surprised it took him this long. I had thought that he would have done it in the first week. What do you think we should do to discipline him, as Minerva expected us to?"

Remus gave him a wary look, "Would you actually discipline him? You would rather send him gifts and tell him that he did well".

"Not so. He got caught didn't he? He must have left clues that lead back to him. We can't have that".

Remus mentally snorted. The older wizard was a true Slytherin. He was disappointed that Harry was caught but, not at all about his ward pulling pranks. Remus knew that the Headmaster had a lot of ways to gather information which others did not. If he put his mind to it, he could find out anything he wanted. Remus however was ready to tell Sirius about this prank and may be they could get some photos from Harry which he surely would have taken.

"Remus, how are the preparations coming for the meeting at Longbottom Manor tomorrow? Are we ready to go and do this?" asked Arcturus.

"Yes, Augusta has sent a letter to inform me that she has called a meeting of the allies of House of Potter & Longbottom tomorrow. We can topple Cornelius Fudge off his chair. Have you talked to Dumbledore?"

Arcturus said off-handedly, "Why would I need to talk to him? He is the chief warlock and it is of no concern to him. I think that privately he would be elated to get rid of Fudge because he is more of a hindrance than a help. It only remains for us to put forward the most suitable candidate for the job".

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Remus asked, knowing that the older wizard would already have thought of it.

"Indeed I do, Remus but I will leave you guessing until I talk about it tomorrow", he said cryptically, "Now leave me in peace to write a letter to my heir to discipline him for his failure".

After dinner as he was about to retire for the night, Hedwig made an appearance. She landed at Remus's side of the table and extended her leg. Remus detached the letter and offered her owl treats and water. After she had her fill, he told her to rest in the Owlery and they would have a letter for her to take back in a few days.

Remus opened the letter and started reading, his eyes shining with anticipation. He inspected the other parchment which had come in the envelope.

He passed both to Lord Black, "Here, this will be sufficient to quell your anger at him".

Arcturus started reading the letter.

_"Dear Grand-dad_

_A few days ago, Draco Malfoy challenged me to a wizard's duel to be held at midnight in the trophy room. I accepted the challenge and made an appearance at the appointed time and place. He failed to come or to send notice that he would not come. In addition to failing to honour his commitment, he also sent Filch so that he could catch me out after curfew. I was able to evade the caretaker and his cat._

_The next day, I made the formal demand of him to forfeit his honour for failure to honour his commitment or to pay reparations in the form I chose. He immediately signed the decree to make reparations in the form I choose and I hereby commit the decree to you to execute as per your convenience on my behalf._

_Neville and Daphne send their respect and loads of love to you and Moony._

_Hadrian Potter-Black_

_Heir to House of Potter and House of Black"_

After he was done reading the letter, he looked at the decree and after satisfying himself as to its contents, he started laughing. After a good 5 minutes, he was able to control his laughter, "Remus, I think we have enough to make sure that Fudge is toppled off his chair. Thanks to this", he said tapping the decree, "Lucius too will play his part".

Remus just grinned in response.

**St. Mungo's**

"Mr. Black, how are you today?" asked Healer Meredith as she entered his ward at St. Mungo's.

Sirius looked up warily, "I am sure I will be absolutely fine Meredith unless you are going to shove another of your disgusting potions down my throat and call it a nutrient potion".

She chuckled, "Hardly Sirius. The potion regime is over and there is nothing more that we can do here. Your sessions with your mind healer are also at an end. Tomorrow we will make the final decision about whether you are ready to leave. Ready to go or not, you are to come in for periodic assessments for the next three months. Fail to show, even once and I swear by Merlin that I will personally come and drag you back here".

Sirius shuddered, "You know I would do anything to be rid of this prison, Meredith. I have a godson to meet, friends to reconnect with, a grandfather to reconcile with and a future life to plan".

She chuckled, "Looks like you have a lot of plans to pursue when you are out of here. I will leave you now to your recuperation".

Sirius was content to be away from the Dementors even if it meant he was in a hospital. He was astounded to find his grandfather alive after so long but was also relieved when Remus had told him that Arcturus had rescued Harry from the muggles a decade ago. True that his grandfather had not looked after his interests when he was little but he had come through when it was needed. He had scorned him and his family and ran away from home when he was 16 but now that he thought about it, he wondered if things would have been different if Arcturus had not left Great Britain soon after Melania had died. He could have changed a lot of things with the power that was at his disposal. He figured that they will have a long talk when they are face to face again.

He also thought about his godson who had grown up to be a wonderful boy and as Moony told him, had the charms of his father and his mother's brains. He wanted to get out of the hospital wing as soon as he could because he could not wait to see his godson and spoil him rotten if Moony had not already done so. It was a good thing that they were going to discharge him the next day because it had already gone on as long as he could tolerate and not break under it.

**Hogwarts **

Harry and Neville had been given a hero's welcome in the tower by many of the students. News was hard to contain in the school with the rumour mill being what it was. Besides, the detention log which contained details about detention of a student was public knowledge and by evening everyone had known who was responsible for the prank.

The twins had snuck out of the castle to bring plenty of items for an impromptu party where Harry and Neville were treated as the guests of honour. The twins had been enthusiastic about the prank and wanted to know details but Harry told them it was proprietary magic of the marauders and part of his heritage as being the heir of their legacy. He told them that they could join in the next big one.

Not everyone was happy with them. a few of them were scowling or grumbling about the pranks and that they had to spend the day sporting parts of an animal. Most however were amused and encouraged them to do more tricks like that in the future.

Percy was one of those who was not amused or found the prank to be funny at all. Hermione was another one who huffed at them.

Ronald had asked Harry as to why he did not include him in the prank. When Harry asked him if he could do half the things they had learned in classes yet. Ronald's red ears were enough to tell him that he could not. He had told Ron that if he applied himself to his studies then Harry would think about including him in his pranks because he was not ready to face the ire of his parents if he turned to mischief making like Harry and did not pay attention to his studies letting his grades plummet.

Later Neville and Harry had conferred with each other about giving Ronald a chance if he showed improvement in his studies. He was a brilliant tactician and could be helpful to them in ways more than one.

**The next day**

Harry was sitting for breakfast at the Gryffindor table with Neville and the twins around him. With the looks that he had received, he was sure that some of the students were still angry with him and it was better to let them cool off before he made another move.

"Harry, is that Zeus flying towards you at break-neck speed?". Neville asked nervously pointing towards the ceiling from where the falcon was gliding towards him.

Harry extended his arm for the bird and when it landed, it butted its head against his for a moment before extending its leg. Harry relieved it of the burden and offered a piece of bacon which the bird snatched up and flew out again. Harry noticed that the letter was sealed by the signet ring of House Black meaning the letter had been written by Lord Black himself. Warily, he opened the letter.

_"Hadrian Potter-Black,_

_I am disappointed with you and I feel that all the lessons I imparted to you were for naught. Your Deputy Head Mistress sent me a letter telling me about your prank and urged me to admonish you for your rule-breaking._

_While she has the right to make requests, it is up to me to honour them or outright ignore them and I have decided to ignore her for the time being. I extend my congratulations for your feat. I also express my disappointment that you were caught._

_Next time, please pick up associates who know the value of stealth, who will not leave a trail to follow. If, however, you are doing it to get caught then it is another matter altogether._

_On a different note, I am extremely pleased with you for the way you acted with dignity and honour in dealing with Heir Malfoy and showed your Slytherin side in obtaining that decree. I surely will use it to great effect._

_How are Heir Longbottom and Heiress Greengrass? Give my love to both of them and take care of yourself, learn magic and do whatever little wizards are supposed to do. Make me proud._

_Arcturus Orion Black_

_Order of Merlin, first class_

_Lord of Ancient and Most Noble House of Black."._

"Everything alright?" Neville asked him.

Harry showed him the letter which he read at once, "I would have never expected that he would actually congratulate you for pranks well done. He looks like the pureblood lord who can tolerate no rule-breaking and does not know humour".

Harry snorted, "You know him Neville. For the world he is Lord Black, the perfect pureblood lord but at home, he is just a grand-father who likes to enjoy life as much as we do while trying to think of ways to spoil his grandchildren".

Neville who was looking around asked him, "Why is Hermione glaring at us?"

Harry looked at Hermione and sighed, "She is a stickler for rules, mate and prides herself on obtaining points for the house with all the answers that she gives in the classes. I suppose she is peeved that we lost 40 points in a day".

Neville chuckled, "I had not thought about it that way". Things were quiet for a few moments before Neville asked him in a hushed whisper, "Are we ready for the next one?"

"Next one?" Gred (or Forge) asked him. "What exactly do you have planned Harrykins?"

Harry gave them his best lop-sided grin, "If I told you, you might try to steal my thunder". He turned to Neville, "Oi, we are ready but do not go out giving our plans like candy or I will find another minion".

Neville slapped his shoulder playfully, "As if anyone else can read you like a book the way I do".

"Neville mate is that the Longbottom owl flying towards you?" asked George pointing to a barn owl flying towards Neville.

The bird extended its leg to Neville when it landed. Neville relieved it of its burden. To his relief, it was not a howler but a simple plain letter from his Gran. Taking it to be a good sign that she was not angry with him, he opened the letter.

_"Neville Frank Longbottom,_

_I received a letter from my friend Minerva last evening about your mischief making at the school. I should say that I am disappointed that you are not following in the foot-steps of your father but I realise that you are your own man. _

_I want to chastise you but when I think about what Frank would have done, I realise that he might have been okay with it. I will not interfere or admonish you about pranks so long as they do not hurt anyone however the moment I hear that you have crossed the line and become a bully, I swear that I will come and set you straight._

_Give my love to Harry and Daphne._

_Augusta Longbottom_

_Regent of House Longbottom"_

Neville showed the letter to Harry who was pleased with the response. "At least I do not have to worry about you being left out of a prank because Gran did not want you to become a part of it".

"As if I would let you do anything without me being involved, you prat", said Neville.

After lunch, McGonagall stopped them, "Mr. Potter-Black and Mr. Longbottom, you both are to report to my office this evening at 8:00 for your detentions and you do not need to bring your wands".

After the admonishment, they went to their classes for the day. Harry made sure to include Ron in the group because he would be very useful to them in pranks. The red head was not as advanced as they were but there was strength in numbers and he had some brains which he could use to get them out of tough situations. His prowess in chess as Harry had seen was formidable. He was able to defeat some of the older years too. They only would need to push him to do his best in studies and at times help him here and there. Besides they needed more friends, plain and simple and the Weasleys were part of their extended family. Callidora, Dorea and Cedrella were sisters after all.

"Harry, come join us in the library today", said Ernie Macmillan who had just come to their table, "There are a few students who want to meet you".

As Ernie left, Harry said to Neville, "Come to think of it, I am related to him too. Grand-Aunt Melania was his great-aunt".

"I take it you are going to meet him?" Neville asked him.

"Of course I am and you are coming with me".

**Longbottom Manor**

Arcturus arrived with Remus at Longbottom Manor where Augusta welcomed them. "Arcturus welcome to Longbottom Manor and the same to you, Remus".

Arcturus asked her, "Are the others here?"

"No but they will start arriving soon. I am expecting about 10 of our allies here today. The rest of them follow Dumbledore now".

Arcturus waved her off, "it is of no concern Augusta. We will have a minister of our own choosing in the Wizengamot this term".

The Wizengamot was the governing body of the Wizarding World and elected the Minister who ran the government. There were 60 active seats in the Wizengamot of the Ancient and Most Noble, Ancient and Noble and Ancient Houses with each seat having 2 votes while 20 were vacant due to the reasons of them being wiped out of existence or stripped of their places upon the Wizengamot. 10 seats of the rest were held by Order of Merlin awardees while 10 were temporary seats which were filled by other houses who were elected by voting of the permanent seats and Order of Merlin holders. If a house did not have anyone to represent its interests in the capacity of Lord or Regent, then the minister could appoint a regent for that seat till the heir came of age. It was using this power that Fudge had appointed Lucius Malfoy as Regent of House Black claiming that in the absence of other heirs, his son Draco Malfoy was the heir apparent. Dumbledore had been able to appoint Elphias Doge when Milicent Bagnold was still minister and she had approved his decision. So, out of a total of 100, there were only 80 active seats in the Wizengamot. For a majority, one needed 41 votes in their favour. The neutrals were the biggest block with 40 members. Dark had 25 and light had 15 members in their respective factions. The light was led by Dumbledore while Nicholas Greengrass was the leader of the neutral and Lucius Malfoy was the leader of a group of the dark faction while the other was led by Thaddeus Nott.

The first one to come was Lady Bones who had brought Lord Abbott with her. The next was Lord Macmillan who had a frown on his face and Arcturus thought that he might be a difficult ally unless he was reminded of his place in the hierarchy of the houses and his relation to the House of Black. Stevens was next which was an Ancient House and had been in the alliance for the last 3 generations. There was Lord Fawley who came next followed by Lord Corner who was followed by Lord Boot.

After they had all taken their seats, Augusta Longbottom stood to address them since she was the host. "Firstly welcome everyone to this first meeting of our alliance after all these years. This meeting has been called to renew the alliance between us.".

Lord Macmillan pointed to Arcturus and Remus, "What are they doing here? As I remember, House of Black was not a part of the grand alliance neither is Mr. Lupin a member of any of the Houses of our alliance".

Arcturus stood and faced him calmly, "My apologies Lord Macmillan if I sound too presumptuous but Hadrian Potter-Black is a ward of my house apart from being my heir. My grandson is his godfather and my sister, I might add, is his grandmother. So, I am here as representative of House Potter's interests in the first place. Secondly, I am willing to join this alliance and declare that House Black will sit in the light faction starting with the next session. Remus Lupin is here because he was one of the intended guardians for little Harry as has been said forth in James Charlus Potter and Lily Potter's will. In the next session, he will be appointed as the Regent to the house of Potter in accordance with their wishes and will be discharging those obligations until Harry is ready to assume his duties upon reaching the age of majority".

When he sat down, Leonard Macmillan had averted his eyes, "I apologise for any slights which I might have committed towards you, Lord Black".

Lady Bones stood to dispel the frostiness of the situation, "So, the agenda of this meeting is to oust Cornelius Fudge from his office because he violated the rights of an Ancient and Most Noble House by appointing a Regent of his choosing without conferring with the Lord of the House".

Lord Boot said, "Amelia, do we even have the numbers? As I see it, we hardly have 10 houses represented in this meeting and we need 41 to make majority".

Lord Black answered for him, "I will answer this one, Lord Boot. As far as anyone knows, House of Black is currently a member of the Dark faction and I still have allies in that faction who are under obligation to The House of Black for favours offered to them throughout the years. Since we have time on hand before the next Wizengamot session, I will call a meeting with them and ask them to repay those debts that they owe to me. In addition to that, I will twist Lucius's arm till he agrees to my proposition and then I will break it for good measure. In the neutral faction, I have several allies who will help me".

Augusta who had done some quick math, replied, "As per my calculations, we will have at least 40 voting on our side, so we just need a couple more to ensure that Fudge's days are numbered".

Lord Abbott spoke for the first time, "If we present a worthy candidate, we may be able to break the rest of them and obtain an easy majority".

Augusta spoke, "I think I speak for all of us when I say I am open to suggestions".

Stevens spoke up, "Dumbledore would not accept the post even if we came crawling to him on our hands and knees to take it. Besides he better suits our needs as the chief Warlock".

Lord Corner said, "What about Bartemius Crouch Senior? He is an able wizard and would be far better than Cornelius Fudge as the minister".

Arcturus snarled, "Not him. He is one of those responsible for sending Sirius to prison without a trial. I want his head on a platter for this infraction".

Remus spoke up, "Then let's consider Lady Bones as the next minister".

Amelia took her time to reply, "My initial thought was to refuse but I think I will do it if you all consider me worthy of the role. There are a lot of things that Cornelius could have done differently. He would have been touted as a hero but he failed to do it".

Arcturus turned to her, "I would implore you to start collecting evidence against him of financial misappropriation, of taking bribes from former death eaters and other offences so that we can arrest him and make him squeal on those who had done under-handed deals with him in the past. I am not in a mood to let him escape".

It was agreed that Amelia would be proposed as the next minister by Lord Macmillan and the nomination would be seconded by Lord Boot. But first, Lord Black would bring a non-confidence motion against Cornelius Fudge.

**Ministry of Magic**

At the same time, Cornelius Fudge was sweating in his office. He had heard whispers of the grindstone moving again and of Lord Black on a warpath against him. When he had become the minister, he used to rush to Dumbledore for advice and generally do as he suggested. The big exception was when he appointed a Regent for House Black. Lucius who had already been cleared by then, due to his heavy donation to a charity run by Fudge's wife had approached him with a smile and a large bag of Galleons and convinced him to appoint Lucius as Regent for House Black. Fudge was obviously happy to do so when nothing had been heard of the former Lord Black for a long time. Lord Black was all but presumed dead. He had panicked at the time when Arcturus had appeared again and started to pester him to get a trial for Sirius Black but Cornelius had persevered and did not bow to him. Arcturus had disappeared again shortly afterwards and he had thought that the crisis was averted but it was not. Now Arcturus was back and asking for his head on a platter.

"Minister, what has worried you?". asked Dolores Umbridge, his undersecretary. The witch was a despicable creature but crafty in her ways therefore Cornelius had allowed her to rise so high in the ministry. She had come in handy for him all these years.

"It is Lord Black, Dolores. Arcturus Black has sworn revenge on me.".

She simpered, "But he is just an old fool like Dumbledore. He surely cannot expect to be able to cause harm to you, the minister of magic.".

Cornelius snapped, "He is a Black, Dolores. They are one of the biggest and most influential families. Most of their influence has waned but they still have enough. They are known Slytherins and if they decide to achieve something, it is not out of their hands. He still has lots of influence and gold to get what he really wants. If he decides to oust me from the office, it is only a matter of time".

"Surely you don't really mean that?" she asked him nervously and Fudge could sense that she was scared for her own future. Well, Fudge thought, he could not give her any assurance when his own future was not secure.

"If I were you Dolores, I would start to consider other career options. It is out of my hands now", he said wearily.

**Hogwarts**

In detention, Professor McGonagall had them clean one of her book-cases full of old books on the first day without magic. It was a hard job and they had not enjoyed a bit of it. In the next, she had them clean a cabinet full of pictures and some awards which had been awarded to Gryffindor in the previous years. One of those showed the Gryffindor students of the class of 1968-75 where the Marauders were standing close to McGonagall and grinning stupidly at the camera making Harry smile. There was another one where Frank and Alice stood with Minerva and surprisingly Augusta.

Classes were going well enough and the Quidditch practices were sufficient to tire him out every day that he had no energy left to do anything else. Oliver was a maniac when it came to Quidditch.

Meanwhile, they had secretly met Lilith Moon and Blaise Zabini. They had been very positive towards him and said that they were looking forward to his friendship with them. As days passed, Harry had met heirs of many houses who otherwise belonged to the dark spectrum on the Wizengamot and were former allies during the war. Harry met all of them and marked some to keep his friendships with, the most notable being Adrian Pucey who was from the Ancient House of Pucey. His family had not participated in combat in the last war for either side but worked as information gatherers for both sides. Harry resolved to get that one on his side as soon as it was possible. There were other heirs too who otherwise belonged to the gray spectrum i.e. the neutrals like the Du Vant Family, the Abercrombie family, the Fawley heiress and a few others. The most interesting thing was that none of them knew of his friendship with Daphne except his year mates and he intended to keep it that way.

**The duel master and his apprentices**

Harry wanted to learn duelling. Arcturus had engaged a duelling master to teach him the basic rules of duelling and that was all however Harry wanted to learn duelling professionally so that he could compete in the World under-14 championship. He had been to many of those tournaments when he was little with Remus and sometimes Neville. They both had decided that they would seek Flitwick out for he was the best to teach them about it.

To that end, they both decided to pay him a visit one evening. The charms professor was in the middle of grading the assignments they had turned in and was surprised to see them, "Mr. Potter-Black, Mr. Longbottom, is everything alright?"

Neville took the initiative, "Yes Professor, everything is alright. We wanted to ask you something".

He motioned for them to continue, "Go on, I am listening".

"Professor, it is widely known that you are a nine times duelling champion. The thing is that we want to participate in the upcoming duelling tournament next year and we thought maybe you could coach us".

Flitwick contemplated what they were asking of him for some time before he started speaking, "Yes, it is true that many years ago, I was a duelling champion. I have not stepped into a ring since then, nor have I ever attempted to coach before. The two of you are certainly doing well in class. You may very well have what it takes. I warn you, however, that duelling in competition is very different from practicing spells in a classroom. I will agree to coach you if you will abide by the rules. I will teach you the same way that my coach taught me".

Harry asked, "Who was your coach?"

"My father at first, but when I arrived at Hogwarts, the transfiguration professor, who is now our Headmaster trained me.", Flitwick grinned. After Harry and Neville had a moment to let that sink in, Flitwick continued, "Now, the rules: First you will not use your duelling abilities to bully others, second you will never ever break the rules of duelling under any condition and thirdly, you will do everything that I ask of you".

They readily agreed to this, "We will do as you ask of us Professor".

He started walking around them noticing their posture and everything that he thought necessary. After a careful observation which lasted 5 minutes, he started, "I want you both to run at least one lap around the Black lake every morning and use magic for any chores which you might do. It will ease you into using magic more swiftly and your cores will become accustomed to the daily exercise so you will not faint in the middle of a duel".

He rooted through a drawer and pulled out two battered copies of a book titled _"A guidebook for Beginner Duellists"_, "These books contain all the spells which we can often expect in a duel and I want you two to learn one spell at a time. You will not start to learn another spell until you have finished one and by finishing I mean that you can cast those spells in your sleep if the need be. There is a room by the charms classroom on the second floor which was used in the past for the duelling classes which were abolished sometime after the Grindelwald war. You can use it for your purposes. I expect you will not tell anyone else about these lessons. If a third student were to so much as show their face when I am coaching you, I will immediately cease teaching these classes. The first class will be at 7:00 on the coming Monday".

**Black Town House**

Sirius Black was discharged from the hospital and brought to his childhood home where he had many bitter memories. Memories of his parents, his brother and all the abuse he had suffered under this roof till he had run away to the Potters in fifth year.

The door to the townhouse was still the same with the door-knocker in the shape of a snake. Moony tapped it with his wand and it opened a minute later. When he stepped inside, he found that the house had been transformed. The narrow entry hall was twice as wide as it used to be. The old-fashioned lights had been replaced with lights which had ever-burning fire in them. The carpet had been changed recently. There was a large chandelier hung in the entrance hall, the stairs were all broader with ever-burning fire lights and illuminating the paths, most of the portraits looked like they sported new frames and had been recently cleaned, the drapes and curtains on the windows looked new, the walls were of neutral colour. The walls of the meeting room were done in cream with hints of brown thrown in. The Black and Potter crests were hanging on one of the walls; the table was the same as ever but looked like it had been polished recently. There were windows on the walls which brought in sufficient sunlight so the house did not have a dark and gloomy look. There were comfortable looking sofas spread throughout the living-room. The kitchen had a huge chandelier which was illuminated by fires which were burning in sconces in it. The fireplace had been enlarged so a full grown man could easily walk out of it and was made of sandstone and done with wood work with the Potter and Black crest on the mantle.

Remus made him sit in the Meeting Room and Kreacher brought them refreshments. While he was not overtly respectful to Sirius, he bobbed his head in courtesy towards him.

Arcturus walked into the meeting room after about 10 minutes and sat on one of the chairs and turned to Sirius, "I trust you have a lot of questions for me".

Sirius took a deep breath before he started, "Yes, I do. My first question is why did you not interfere when my hag of a mother made me run away from the family? Second, where were you when I was taken to Azkaban? You could have got me out of there years ago. Why did you not try? Why did you take Harry in? Why are the Potter and Black crests everywhere in the house?"

"I was in the Black Castle when the hag made you leave the Townhouse. I returned six months later and Dorea told me everything. I had been away for so long because I was grieving over Melania however I never cast you out of the family. Walburga had no authority to do this and you remained my heir. I tried to send you many letters but you had put mail redirection wards around you which prevented any communications from getting to you. When Charlus died, I left for France because I could not live here with all the grief and sorrow. My own family was tearing itself apart and I could not stand around to bury one member after another. By the time, Voldemort was vanquished, I was already presumed dead by most. News was slow to come out of Wizarding Britain in those days and by the time I learned about it, you were already incarcerated. I kept pestering Cornelius Fudge to let me see your trial files but he had them sealed under the Official Secrets Act. I also found that most of my family was gone. Pollux, Castor, Alpharad, Druella and everyone is dead. My heir was in Azkaban on charges of murder of those he considered family. I kept trying but could not find a way to get you out. I was also apprehensive that Narcissa's boy would become the Black Heir in the absence of another one so I looked for anyone else who could become one and the goblins helped me to find out that Harry Potter had an equal claim to the heirship. Dumbledore had left him to be raised by muggles who hated and abused him. I devised a plan where Moony agreed to act as my steward and rescued little Harry from the muggles. We lived in hiding all these years and returned to London when it was time for Harry to return to the wizarding world. He has friends to depend on, he knows of his heritage and his family history and he is already turning heads with pranks. As to why the Potter and Black crests, Harry is the heir of both the families. Do you have any more questions?"

Sirius asked innocently, "Just one. What prank did he do?"

Arcturus stood, "I will let Remus fill you in on all the details. I am off to do some work".

**The duelling lessons**

Harry and Neville dutifully presented themselves before Flitwick on Monday at the appointed hour for the first duelling lesson. Since their meeting in his office, they had read the book which Flitwick had given them as he had asked them to. They were learning just one spell a week and even then it was tough work. This presented a real challenge but also made them acquainted with more spells that they were sure would only be taught in defense or charms in the later years.

The books listed 10 spells which were all non-lethal spells, used extensively in the duelling circuits by amateur duellists. Remus had already taught them some of the spells. That sped the training along.

Flitwick was sitting behind a desk and started speaking, "For a duellist it is necessary that he must be nimble on his feet, a quick thinker and can cast at greater speed than others. I had some born talent that I am faster than anyone else but you can acquire speed with time. Also remember that in a duel, it is not necessary for you to raise a shield every time. You can also dodge which is better for two reasons: First, dodging does not drain your magical core, second, if a spell cannot connect, it cannot harm you".

He took a brief pause so the boys could contemplate all that he was telling them. After everything sunk in, he asked them a question, "Do you both know how to dance?"

Harry and Neville answered together, "Yes".

Then Harry asked, "How does that help with dodging? I mean dancing is regular, rhythmic and predictable. I thought that dodging should be erratic and unpredictable".

Flitwick smiled, "Let me show you then".

He jumped down from the table and took the traditional duellist stance and said to them, "Now you both shoot any spells at me that you can while I show you how dodging is nothing more than dancing".

For this demonstration, Flitwick didn't bother to get his wand out. Without warning, they both started to cast at him and Flitwick looked like he was dancing in front of the spells. His feet were moving so fast and so gracefully that it was hard to predict where he was going to be next. The boys understood what he had meant by dodging being a dance. Being raised as heirs of pureblood families, dancing was a must for them to know. Cassiopeia had it drilled into Harry until he could dance perfectly. Augusta had been able to teach Neville to dance gracefully to at least save his reputation.

After five minutes of casting, they were not able to hit the tiny professor even once. When they stopped casting, the tiny Professor again returned to his chair, "Now you see how dancing is related to dodging. It is all about foot work. The faster the footwork you have is the better chance you have at avoiding a defeat in a duel. I want you both to practice dodging at least 10 minutes a day where Mr. Potter-Black would dodge while Mr. Longbottom will cast and vice-versa. Now the next thing is to conserve your energy. You both are powerful for your age but that does not mean you would last forever if you have to fight back to back duels so it is important that you conserve energy in a duel. Do not use a spell when you know it will be wasted by a shield or would be dodged. Cast indiscriminately only when you think it is necessary or you do not want to give your opponent a chance to be alert against you. Also do not use the same trick twice in a duel or in front of the same audience".

They both listened carefully as if he was delivering some religious sermon and wrote down everything. They were really serious about the championship and wanted to win it at least once in their life-time. Augusta had even encouraged Neville to try it at the next championship while Arcturus had told him that he should do what he wished to rather than following Arcturus's words.

**Forfeiture of honour**

Lucius Malfoy looked up when he saw an eagle owl tapping on the window of his study. With a flick of his wand, the window opened inwards and the eagle-owl flew inside and landed before him. As he relieved the beast of its burden, it took flight again.

Lucius casually glanced at the letter and almost threw it on his table in fright as if his hand was burned by the Black Crest which was on the envelope. Cautiously, he cast a detection spell to see if the letter was not laced with any obscure spell (The Black Family had been notorious once for killing three of their enemies that way). When nothing special was revealed, he gingerly opened the envelope. The letter was written in the scathing tone which Arcturus had used with him at the ministry.

_"Lucius Malfoy_

_This letter is written to summon you to a meeting to discuss the reparations which your heir has promised to make to the Heir of Black under his hand for forfeiting a wizarding duel and consequently your family honour._

_You are here by summoned to 'the Olive King' in Diagon Alley this Friday at 06:00 in the evening. Failure to turn up on your part will be construed as forfeiting your family honour to the House of Black and eternal shame to be yours as it is for your family on the continent. _

_Arcturus Orion Black_

_Order of Merlin, First Class_

_Lord of House of Black"_

Lucius finished reading the letter once and read it again frowning. How the pretentious old fool thought to command him, a Malfoy to do his bidding. He would show him.

However, the next moment Lucius stopped his train of thought. Arcturus had staked the Malfoy Family honour on this meeting and by the way he wrote it seemed he had a decree signed by Draco for reparations. What had the foolish boy done now? How could he sign away the family honour to someone? Was he really so dense as to have challenged the Black heir to a wizarding duel and not turn up? He would have to set him right soon. It was a pity he could not procreate more. He would have definitely disowned Draco if there was another issue of his running around. Lucius also wondered in that brief moment if the enchantments on the sorting hat were wearing off to have put his son into Slytherin. He would set his heir straight when he returned from school for Yule. In the meanwhile, he had no option but to go to this meeting and do as the old fool wanted or the Malfoy name would be mud. All of his gold would not be enough to salvage it because the old fool had more.

**A whisper in the night**

It had been a few days since the first lesson with Flitwick when Harry took it upon himself to explore the castle with Neville. They talked with other students but weren't including others in their activities as of yet because half of their dealings involved Daphne and half of their activities were fairly mundane. Harry had been able to persuade his prank associates to not talk about Daphne being his friend to anyone else. When they asked, he told them to think of it as 'a long term prank' where they would have the last laugh whenever it came into the open.

This night Harry was taking a walk in the castle to find the secret entrances out of the school. He wanted to know each of them so that they could go to the village without anyone being the wiser.

When they were passing the statue of the humped witch on the fifth floor, they heard whispers coming from the class room nearest the statue. They carefully stepped over to the room and put their ears to the door.

Someone was in the room and by the sound of it was weeping, "My... My lord... Forgive me, my lord. I promise I will be successful. I will never fail you again, Lord Voldemort... "

Neville gasped loudly but Harry had closed his mouth with his hand and dragged him away without making a sound. They returned to the common room as soon as they could manage. It was only after they were within the safety of the common room that Harry let go of Neville's mouth and Neville slumped into a chair while Harry himself sat in a chair with his heart thudding hard against his rib cage. His mortal enemy was alive still and someone in the castle was working for him. Lord Black would need to know of it. That was all Harry could do and hope that Voldemort had not returned to a body again.

He also decided to try and find out who could be working for Voldemort. It was a sure thing that none of the students were working for him because he had never used a student to do his dirty work. It was a pity that he did not have the Marauder's Map on him at that moment because the twins had borrowed it. He was a bit reluctant to part with the map but he had decided to let things cool down before striking again so he had given it to them.

**A few days later**

They had also started to include Ron in things that they did. Occasionally Hermione Granger joined them. If Harry wanted some information that he was sure was in their books, he subtly would let her know by discussing the thing vaguely. It was easy to get a rise out of her because she was always looking for a chance to read some new book or to find some new information and she was sure to rub it in their faces when she had the required information. While others thought she was a know-it-all, Harry tried to be a friend to her because she was otherwise very secluded except for an occasional word from Parvati or from Lavender. She tried to talk to others but even the Ravenclaws tried to keep their distance from her because she seemed to love to spout information whether it was relevant or not.

Ronald had seen them going out at times but was still not allowed to come with them because he was not applying himself to his studies. Harry had plainly told him that if he finished his assignments in time, put his mind to his work then they would include him in their adventures. The red-head was working hard to get their approval.

Classes were otherwise normal except for Quirrell who it seemed had started to suffer from nerves. He was always edgy and often times, his eyes twitched as if he were getting some sort of seizures. From what Harry had been able to learn through his stuttering, he knew what he was teaching but his classes were more of a joke than actual defense classes. Even Moony had taught him more than this in anticipation to ready him for what he may face in his studies. He had told him about the curse of the bogies (popularly known as the Bat-Bogey hex but did not show them the practical application), told them about imps and ghosts, and about curing werewolf bites (by a mixture of silver and dittany) so far. Harry had no doubts that he was a grossly incompetent teacher who knew nothing practical about the subject he was supposed to be teaching.

Flitwick was very happy to teach them basic charms and he took his time with all the charms that he wanted them to know in their first year. So far, he had taught them 'lumos' and 'nox', 'incendio' and 'alohomora' and was going to teach them some locking charms in the next few sessions. He had also hinted at a test in the coming days and Harry was not really worried. He had learned the theory part enough to know how he would fare in the test.

Transfiguration was good but Professor McGonagall was nothing if not thorough in her work. She was still having them work on mouse to snuff-box transfiguration. Harry had done the practical part and had asked Moony how he could appear productive in classes when he had finished his work already. Moony told him to think creatively about the work like if they were supposed to be changing mice to snuffboxes then maybe he should try to get more detail into his work like it can be of a different shape, design, can have more compartments and so on. Harry had taken his advice and tried to do as Moony suggested.

Snape had them brew two potions so far. He had given 2 classes to ensure that they all could brew a decent cure for boils when he decided to move on to another potion. He had tried to get a rise out of Harry a couple more times but most times Harry did not reply to his insults. He had decided that Snape was not worth his time and would have stopped paying attention to him altogether if he had not gone after Neville too.

He had them brew the herbicide potion in class that day when he decided to ask questions of Neville. Harry was working on his own potion and forgot to watch Neville. Neville had forgot to add the flobberworm mucus and was proceeding to stirring it in 4 clockwise motions when Snape asked him, "Longbottom, what would I get if I forgot to add 2 blobs of flobberworm mucus to the potion as is required?"

Neville realised what he had done and said to him in a small voice, "It would be wasted, Sir".

Snape drawled, "5 points from Gryffindor, Longbottom for your inattention. Perhaps if you did not sit with Potter-Black, you could concentrate better on your task".

Harry spoke up and said to Snape, "Professor, I trust you will also be taking points off Crabbe and Goyle? Their potions are sticking to the bottoms of their cauldrons and will have to be scraped off".

Snape turned to him with rage on his face, "Do I have to remind you that I am the teacher? I know what I am doing here. 5 points from Gryffindor for talking back to a teacher".

Harry seethed but decided to let it go for now. There will be chances later. For now going to McGonagall would be more productive because she would know how to rein Snape in.

Astronomy classes were pretty normal. They weren't much fun but a perfect place to talk if Harry wanted. Those classes ran late into the night. He could have prolonged conversations with his fellow students without anyone noticing.

History of Magic was dreadful. There was no other way to describe the experience. Binns was horrible. Harry did not even realise what he was talking about half the time. Some of the students even dared to sleep in his classes. Harry wondered if he and the other students played exploding snap, would Binns even notice. Perhaps not.

Living in the tower was good. Some of the housemates that he had come to know were truly great while some were stuck up ponces that he despised. There was a second year McLaggen who was a braggart. He seemed to brag as if he could do everything better than anyone else. The boy had some skills and could be useful if it were not for his constant bragging and bullying. He even had the audacity to try and tell OloWood how to keep the goals better. The twins had pranked the hell out of him for that one.

The quidditch team was pretty cool. The Chasers, who were all girls, fawned over him since he was the youngest member of the team. They were also impressed with his abilities as a seeker and the moves that he knew. All those matches that he had seen were finally paying off.

Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott were some good friends that he had made. There was also Justin who was a muggle-born and laid back guy. Harry had also met Cedric Diggory, a third year who was a seeker on the Hufflepuff team and word was that he was the best seeker at the school at the moment. Harry was ready to test that theory and see for himself.

In Ravenclaw, most of them were his friends. Some of them asked him about how he had done the prank. Harry was not telling. He himself did not know about it in detail and wanted to let it remain that way.

He had another thing on his mind to do- a day-out in the village. It was on his to-do list for now and he was not going to do it by himself but was going to take others with him. he had heard that the village of Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in England. He wanted to see for himself what it was like. Remus had told him so much that it was hard to contain his enthusiasm anymore. Sure they would officially be allowed to go the village starting in their third year but that was two years away and there was no reason to wait until then. He just had to ensure that no one found out about them.

* * *

**A/N- I loved the reviews guys. I absolutely love how you are showering so much love upon this fic. **


	8. Chapter 8

**McGonagall's Office**

Harry and Neville had decided to take up the issue of Snape taking points off them without any justifiable cause with McGonagall. They did not want to go to Dumbledore so much because the Headmaster had so many other things to do. Besides he generally was the pacifist while McGonagall had a fiery nature. She would not take kindly to injustice or wrongful deduction of points from any student.

Minerva was grading assignments in her office when Neville and Harry knocked on her office door, "Professor, may we come in?"

She ushered them in, "What brings you both here? I hope you have not been sent to me for detention for pulling a prank in class".

Harry shook his head, "No Professor. We have a complaint about the unjust behavior of Professor Snape towards us".

"What do you mean Potter-Black?" she asked.

"Professor, in our most recent potions class while we were brewing Herbicide potion, Neville forgot to add Flobberworm mucus and skipped a step. He took 5 points off Neville while demeaning me saying that if Neville did not sit with me, he could concentrate better on his task. When I redirected his attention to the sub-par performance of other students whose potions were not even salvageable, he took 5 points off me too for talking back to a teacher. Professor we have been nothing but respectful to him in class. He has been rude, disrespectful and unfair to us in return. If this continues, I will have no other option than to address my concern to Lord Black. He would not be happy with this turn of events".

Minerva pondered this for a moment. This would be quite a reversal of the order of things, a student writing letters home, complaining about a teacher misbehaving. Arcturus Orion Black was a nightmare when he was active before the war. She was a few years behind him at Hogwarts and knew of his reputation in those days. He was a person who would go to any lengths for those he called family and he was terrific with a wand. She would have to do something before Harry decided to involve him in the fray. She turned to the duo, "Take back the points he deducted from you two. I will take this up with the Headmaster. If he is being nasty to you let me know and I will deal with him".

**YOUR HONOUR OR YOUR FRIEND?**

Lucius was getting ready to go meet Lord Black to discuss what reparations he would have to make to have his family honour returned. He had talked with Narcissa about what he might want where they had a big fight over Draco. When he had tried to assert his authority as head of family over her she had waved it off.

That day, Lucius had called her into the Lord's Study and when she arrived, he told her under what conditions he had acquired the Regency over the House of Black. Just after the war, after he had bribed his way clear of the death eater charges, using the Imperious curse defense, then he bribed his way into the regency using Draco's claim to heirship. At the time, he told Narcissa that Lord Black was dead. Now that the old fool had returned, he had no choice but to tell her the entire truth.

She heard everything he said and then asked him, "Did you know that Grand Father was not dead when you took the regency?"

He nodded, "My account manager had told me that Lord Black was not yet dead but I thought with no other heirs alive and Lord Black in hiding, Draco would become the heir so I took the regency".

She sighed, "Grandfather is a proud man Lucius and he does not take kindly to any subversion of his authority as the Head of family. What you did was a violation of his perceives it as an attack on the family honour. I cannot help you in this".

He nodded and then he showed her the letter, "There is more to it. He sent me a letter yesterday. What do you think he wants, dear?"

She read the letter twice and then said, "I see that he has staked Malfoy honour on this meeting. What has Draco done?"

He sneered, "That idiot boy challenged the Black heir to a wizarding duel and did not turn up for it, thereby putting our honour at stake. I had warned you not to coddle him with kid gloves and teach him what it means to be a Malfoy".

She seethed, "If I had brought him up like a Black, he would have been loads better than he is now. You took a major part in bringing him up like yourself, Lucius. Now I ask you again, what are you going to do about this meeting?"

He had calmed down a little by then knowing how her temper could erupt if he did not cool down. If that happened, he did not want to be within miles of her. "I have no idea what he will ask of me. I have already asked my account manager how much gold I can lay my hands on in case he wants reparations in gold from us. Meanwhile I want you to go to him and ask clemency. While he despises me, he is likely to agree to your request".

She shook her head, "No Lucius, for your own good, I will not do that".

"Why not?" he growled, "Do you not love your family and it's honour? Why won't you go and ask him to drop it?"

She shook her head again. Her foolish husband really had no understanding of how Lord Black's mind worked or how dishonourable his actions were. She tried to explain it to him, "Of course I love my family but please try to understand. If I did as you asked, it would only make things worse. You have read the letter. He has ordered you to meet with him to discuss terms. He has also made it very clear as to what will happen if you fail to show". She looked at her husband, directly in the eye, "You should not have even considered asking me to intervene. He was not in favour of our union since the start but kept his peace because he figured that it would cause discontent because he did not object to Andromeda's marriage either. He has not seen me once since I married you and I fear that if I press the matter more, he would kick me out of the family like he did to dear Bella. I am proud of being a Black and would do nothing to endanger my position in the family".

Lucius flinched. He remembered how they had been informed by the Lestranges that Bellatrix's marriage had been dissolved. She was now a nameless witch without the protection of any house over her, not that it would have mattered with her being incarcerated in Azkaban.

A few days later, Lucius Malfoy arrived at the Olive King restaurant in Diagon Alley to keep his appointment with Arcturus Orion Black. The serving waiter directed him to a parlor at the back and asked him to take a seat.

The Olive King was a new restaurant which catered to the elite of the Wizarding World and the prices there were high which meant only those of old wizarding families or those with lot of gold could afford it. Arcturus had arranged for a private parlour for them beforehand by advance reservation. Lucius knew that the reservations needed to be at least two weeks in advance and there was no way Arcturus would have had it reserved two weeks ago. It was likely that Arcturus had paid a ridiculous bribe to get a reservation or maybe he just had so much influence that he could get what he really wanted. In any case, meeting here on just a few days notice was a deliberate display of power and wealth. He also had been thinking about what Lord Black could ask from him by way of reparations. He had even asked his account manager to arrange for some extra in the way of gold in addition to 10 Million Galleons which was already available, just in case.

Arcturus left Malfoy to sweat for ten minutes before he came. When he did show up, he had Sirius Black in tow. They sat without even acknowledging Lucius's presence. When Lucius did not stand in respect or bow to him, Lord Black growled, "Learn to respect your betters, fool. I am still the head of your wife's house and your family's honour is in my hands. Do you wish to lose everything which Abraxas Malfoy earned through the past decades?"

Abraxas Malfoy was Lucius's father who was a consummate Slytherin. While he supported pure-blood ideals, he was more tolerant of half-bloods and muggle-born compared to his son and the death-eaters but that still did not mean that he would have ever warmed up to them. He saw them as a means to an end rather than outright despising them. Working earnestly he had made a reputation for the family in Wizarding Britain but had retired from social life about the time when the first Wizarding War was at its peak. He had allowed his son to ascend to the position of the lord of the family and had removed himself from the social circles because his family was at loggerheads with most of his former allies during the war. Abraxas and Arcturus were on speaking terms with each other courtesy of the Wizengamot where they had stood together at times in support of a motion or opposing it.

Lucius gave a jerky bow to him, "I apologize Lord Black".

Arcturus would have enjoyed bashing him some more but had other business to attend to today. He had no more time to waste on this slimy git. He had brought Sirius along because he wanted to appoint him as the Regent Lord Black. Sirius could look after the affairs of the House since Arcturus was old anyway and could not work as actively as he used to. Sirius was spending time with him learning the duties he would have as the house regent and of the family's position in respect to various subjects.

"I suppose you know why I have called you here when I cannot stand to see your face?" Arcturus asked him.

Lucius drawled, "I am acquainted with the conditions, yes. I believe that it was a child's jest. We do not need to involve ourselves with it".

Arcturus barked, "Are you really such a fool or do you go to extra effort to look the part? Have you not taught your son the first thing about being a pure-blood lord? Do you teach your heir to jest around with wizarding duels when you know that these sacrosanct practices cannot be taken lightly and the rules governing them are inviolable? May be I should just proceed to forfeit your family honour and tout you as Blood Traitors as your grand-father did to the Weasleys".

Lucius sweated. If they were branded as Blood traitors, that would end everything for his family. He hastily said, "I apologize again, Lord Black and I am ready to pay reparations in any form you choose".

Sirius who had been sitting quietly asked him, "And what do you have to offer which can be as valuable as your family honour?"

He looked at Arcturus who gave him a look so as to tell him to answer the question. He said, "The Malfoy family Vaults have 10 Million Galleons at present. I can procure more for your reparations".

Arcturus laughed evilly, "Gold? You think I want your filthy gold? I already have more gold than I will ever need, you fool. Besides, you can earn it all back if your family honour is intact. So, tell me, how can any amount of gold be worth as much as your family honour?"

Lucius averted his eyes, "What else can I do to make reparations then, Lord Black?"

Arcturus said to him, "You have built quite a rapport with the Minister of Magic, the bumbling fool Cornelius Fudge these past few years. I want his head on a platter. I am bringing a non-confidence motion against him. You, along with all of your cohortswill support this motion. You will arrange it. At the last count, you had ten members in your block. I want every one of them to vote in favour of this motion. If you balk at the last moment, you will forfeit the last shreds of your honour. When you have done your part, when Cornelius Fudge is no longer the Minister for Magic then and only then will I deem your debt of honour to be paid".

Lucius started to say, "Lord Black, what you are as…"

But his words were cut short by Arcturus, "I am not giving you a choice, you fool. Do as I say and you will retain whatever honour you have left. Try to reason with me and you will leave Wizarding Britain in shame".

Malfoy knew that his only option was to agree to Arcturus's demand. All of the alternatives were repulsive to him. The old man was right; the gold would have meant nothing to him in the long run. But betraying Fudge and ordering him to hand over the Minister's head; that meant destroying a useful ally. A foolish one true, but still a useful one. What's more, taking this action would require calling in favours, answering questions, betraying trusts. It would severely weaken his hold on both the Wizengamot and the ministry. However for Lucius, the cost did not matter. Lucius Malfoy would betray anyone; do anything to save his own worthless hide or dubious honour. He would persuade, bribe, and threaten the members of his faction to support him in this motion. Maybe he would have to sit down with Nott to make sure that the motion is carried. The only dark spot on the horizon was that this would make him infamous among the members of the Wizengamot as a thieving back stabber who would knife the one who befriended him.

Lucius nodded to Arcturus, "This definitely goes against my interests. It will also severely curtail my ability to do anything in the future. But, if this is your price, I will do it, Lord Black. Will you be giving the decree to me now?"

Arcturus looked at him as if he was something nasty, "Is something the matter with your hearing? Are your brains addled? Do you think I have gone senile in my old-age? I told you that when Fudge is no longer Minister, then and only then will your debt be paid. I will be hanging on to this decree until then. Now be gone before my patience runs out with you".

Lucius hastily made his exit while Arcturus turned to Sirius, "How many of them are going to come today?"

Sirius, who had been handling his communication for the last few days, said, "As I remember, there are at least 10 lords who have agreed to come and meet with you today".

The first one to come was Lord Parkinson who was lord of the Ancient House of Parkinson and not very high on the social ladder. House Black had loaned a large amount of gold to House Parkinson about a century ago and now Arcturus was asking for all of it back with interest. Suffice to say, the coffers of House Parkinson were not deep enough to pay him back without going bankrupt. He quickly agreed to do Lord Black's bidding whenever he asked of him in return for House Black not enforcing a decree for immediate repayment on House Parkinson. To show his sincerity to the promise he even signed a parchment which contained the stipulation that House Parkinson would always help House Black whenever they required it. It was a substantial sum that House Parkinson owed to House Black but it did not inconvenience Arcturus in the slightest if he did not get the gold back. In return for the gold, he was getting Parkinson to support him whenever he wanted.

Similarly there were many of them who owed something to House of Black and he asked each of them to support him or repay the favours that House Black had done for them. Needless to say, it was easier to promise to help him than to go against him and incur the wrath of House Black. Unlike Cornelius Fudge who was an idiot, these people knew about the mean streak of vengeance that Arcturus Black possessed and they wanted to avoid being on the wrong end of it. When finally the business for the day ended, Arcturus had signed parchments from the 10 of them who had turned up today. Grinning to himself at his success, he returned to his manor. Things were indeed good and he just had one more meeting to attend. Something that he should do while he just may keep Harry Potter safe for all eternity.

**Hogwarts**

Away from the king-maker moves of Lord Black, his heir Harry was meeting his friends for a day out of school. He had invited many of them to join him and nearly all of them had expressed their reluctance at first but when he assured them that he had a way to get out of the school without being detected, many of them agreed. When he told them that he would be paying the bills, many more agreed more quickly.

He had asked Corner and Turpin and they had agreed instantly to the idea. They had vehemently protested when he told them that he would be paying for them. Harry told them that if they wanted to pay for themselves, that was alright with him. He had asked Terry Boot too but he had refused telling him that he had some work to do. There were a few Ravenclaws he had asked but none of them had time off their schedules.

Ernie, Susan and Hannah had readily agreed to come to Hogsmeade with them saying they had heard good things about the village. They would like to visit the village for themselves. Waiting for third year was far too long. Justin had taken some persuasion but had agreed.

In Slytherin, Daphne and Tracy agreed to it. Daphne even dared him to refuse to let her do this. Harry had bowed before her wishes while Neville was elated for some reason. When Harry questioned him, he said that he was tired of not being able to speak openly with Daphne since they had come to Hogwarts. The visit would give them a few moments of respite.

Including Daphne in their group meant that he could take nobody in Gryffindor. Ron had some sort of problem with Slytherins so he may have caused a fuss over this while Hermione would have told on them to a teacher. Dean and Seamus were on speaking terms with him but they were not close enough friends to merit him inviting them to this, not yet anyway. He was yet to make friends with other girls in Gryffindor in his year.

They had chosen a Sunday so that they could make the most out of their visit and see as much of the village as they could. Having seen the map, he knew they would be better off taking the route under the statue of the humped witch on the third floor which opened in the cellar of Honeydukes.

On the said Sunday, they met at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast sans Daphne and Tracy. Deciding to meet on the third floor after breakfast, Harry went to find the twins who had borrowed the map.

While recovering the map, Harry called Moony on the mirror asking the marauder to recommend the best places to visit in Hogsmeade. Remus told him in detail about the village and every attraction there. When they all gathered for the visit in the room across from the Hump Backed witch, Neville was given the duty to open the hump and help them get in. Harry kept an eye on the map while hiding behind a pillar so none could know about the map.

After Neville had finished sending the last one in, he hooted like an owl for Harry to come through and he jumped in closing the hump behind him. When they were all in, Harry took the lead while they all made chit chat about what they would do once they were in the village. As it generally happens, when you are in company, time passes very quickly. Pretty soon, they were below the trap door in the cellar of Honeydukes.

Harry turned to them, "Wait for me here while I see if the coast is clear. I will call for you when it is so".

They all nodded. He pulled out his wand and cautiously peeked out sliding the trap door just a little. The trap door was suddenly opened wide and a set of hands reached down to pull him up. He panicked and cursed himself internally for getting all of his friends into a trap. He tried to bite the hands holding him but was unsuccessful. His wand and wand-hand were caught in such a position that he could not use them to free himself. Below in the space, Daphne had shrieked when Harry was taken out all of a sudden.

"Calm down Harry", Sirius Black said, "We are just here to welcome you".

Harry did calm down when he noticed that Remus was trying not to laugh while another old wizard who he presumed was the owner of Honeydukes was looking amused. After Sirius had set him down, the man asked him, "Is it him, Sirius?"

Sirius raised a finger towards him as if telling him to wait, "I will talk to you in a moment Ambrosius. First let me get the others out". He peered in the hole and said jovially, "Come out, come out my children, Uncle Sirius want to play".

His call was answered with a colour changing spell and a lumos somebody had cast inside the hidden passageway to his face, giving him a nasty green shade of skin and temporarily blinding him while others roared with laughter however Harry was able to persuade his friends to come out telling them it was safe. After they were all out, Sirius turned to Ambrosius, "Ambrosius meet my godson, Hadrian Potter-Black the son of James Potter the marauder extraordinaire. Harry, this is Ambrosius Flume, owner of Honeydukes. He is one of our friends who allowed us to use his cellar for our nefarious activities when we were students. At times, he even shielded us from possible detentions so, if you want to commit mischief then you had best be on good terms with him. He will help you get away with almost anything".

Ambrosius extended his hand towards him, "it is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter-Black. Your father and his friends were some of my favourite people. They helped me a lot of times. I hope you will continue giving your patronage to Honeydukes".

Harry shook his hand warmly, "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Flume, to have met the man who is behind the taste of Honeydukes Chocolates".

After shaking hands with the man, Harry started introducing his friends to them, "This is Neville Longbottom (Sirius looked at him curiously) in Gryffindor with me, Daphne Greengrass, Tracy Davis in Slytherin, Susan Bones (Sirius was amused), Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch Fletchley in Hufflepuff, Michael Corner, and Lisa Turpin in Ravenclaw. Everyone this is my god-father Sirius Black, my uncle Remus Lupin and Mr. Ambrosius Flume".

The children were led up to the shop and to say that they were amazed would be an understatement. There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolates in different rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another barrel of Fizzing Whizbees, levitating sherbet balls with another wall of 'Special effect sweets and rows upon rows of sugar quills.

There was much more to see and Harry was sure that if they kept gawking at every display in the shop, they would be there for hours without ever leaving Honeydukes. Sirius in the meanwhile, was asking them to fill their pockets with everything that they could think of or as much as they could carry. Whatever anyone picked up, even to as much as they could see, Sirius told them to keep it and paid for it. By the time Harry was able to tell him that he did not need to do so much to get his approval, Sirius had spent almost 100 G on their purchases.

Reluctantly, they left Honeydukes to go see other attractions of the village and the adults became their guides for the tour. While they were passing through an inn called "the Hogs Head", Sirius turned to them and said very mysteriously, "If you are out of school without it being a Hogsmeade weekend, you would do well to stay clear of the Hogs Head".

"Why is that?", Daphne asked curiously.

"Because Miss Greengrass, the bar keeper of Hogs Head is one Aberforth Dumbledore who just happens to be the brother of our illustrious Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He would not tell on you, but the Headmaster may be inside during any such visit and you would walk into it".

Everyone nodded as if he was giving them a lecture. The next shop that caught their attention was Zonko's joke shop. It was a fantastic shop which could help them to fulfil all their pranking dreams and had all sorts of joke products which they could use to pull their pranks in the future. Everyone quickly filled their pockets with dungbombs and stink pellets which they were planning to use soon.

There was Scrivenshafts which was a shop for quill and stationery. There were reams of parchment, big pots of ink in the shop and even books which they would need in their studies.

There was an obscure tea-shop called Madam Puddifoot's. Sirius had them steer clear of the place saying that they would never need to visit it if they had some good taste in partners.

He showed them the post-office and the owls which were there. There were big barn owls, eagle owls, small scoop owls and many others that they did not even know about. Each was available for sending post depending on what they need to send and the duration of the trip.

After the marauders had given them a thorough tour of the Village, they ushered them into the Three Broomsticks and took a parlor upstairs. The barmaid Madame Rosmerta shrieked when she saw Sirius and then hugged him crying into his shoulder for 5 minutes. When she was done, she happily sent them up telling she would be bringing butterbeers and lunch for them in a moment.

When they were finally sitting in the parlor, Harry dared to ask what he wanted to, "How did the two of you know that we were going to be there?"

Sirius smirked, "You should not have come today. When you called Moony, we were suspicious that you would be coming to the village we decided to come and check. Since the cellar of Honeydukes is the only secret passageway which opens in the Village, we guessed you would be here. You should have avoided coming today and come another day or may be asked him a few days in advance. However I am glad you came when you did. I wanted to see you for myself and meet your friends".

He turned to Neville, "So you are little Neville, huh? Blimey you have become so big and you look so much like Alice. She has the same round face, had baby fat at this age like you do and at times forgot things but she was a real sweetheart to those she loved. Your father is a great man. He was terrific with a wand and a true friend to us. Did you know that you did your first bout of accidental magic when you were just born? Your swaddling blanket was a little loose. When Frank laid you in your crib; you shrank it to fit yourself and snuggled up comfortably. I noticed that and tried to tell him but he just wouldn't listen. That was a happy day and it doubled when Harry was born a few hours after you".

After Sirius was done rumbling, he swept his hand through Neville's hair fondly, "If you ever need the services of a prankster, Padfoot at your service".

After he had addressed Neville, he turned to Susan, "You are Edgar's daughter? I could not be there for your birthday on the day when you were born because James and I were fighting in Sheffield to save a family of Muggles from Voldemort's death eaters. When we returned to the Ministry, Edgar gave us the good news. He was a great friend who at times had our backs and supported us through thick and thin at every step in life, whether as a student or as an Auror. What I am surprised about is that you are raised by Amelia and yet you engaged in a prank? What did she say?"

Susan was grinning, "Auntie said that she would set me straight the next time she sees me. But then she has been saying that for ages now".

Sirius then turned to Harry, "I know pup you might be feeling that I am not giving enough attention to you but it is not so. I came over today only to show you around the village and I am still waiting for the surprise which you promised me".

Harry hugged the older man, "Thanks Padfoot, for showing us around and introducing us to Ambrosius Flume. He will be useful loads of times to us. As for the surprise, it is only September last now. You will have to wait for a few more days, I am afraid".

After they had lunch, Sirius led them back to the cellar of Honeydukes where Sirius told Harry that Mr. Flume would help him and his friends whenever he needed unless it was something criminal. They all returned to the statue of the humped witch, bone tired but pleased with the day and everything that they had seen and experienced. What they failed to notice was that two sets of eyes had seen them going out and coming back into the school.

**The duel lesson**

For the second duel lesson, Flitwick decided to test their nimbleness and how quick they were on their feet. If he was teaching them to duel, he was not going to just give instructions and let it be.

When they both had reported for the lessons, he asked, "What spell did you both practice this week?"

Neville replied, "Professor, this week we perfected Petrificus Totalus".

Flitwick nodded, "Good. Now you will both cast it on me while I will dodge. I will keep dodging for 10 minutes or until one of you manages to hit me whichever comes first".

Harry and Neville started casting at him relentlessly while the tiny professor kept dodging everything, moving with grace. Nothing even grazed the folds of his robes. He was that quick on his feet. He weaved in and out of the way of their spells so quickly and gracefully that it was hard to believe. After 10 minutes, they were not able to hit him even once.

When they stopped casting after 10 minutes, he raised his wand and said, "my turn".

Without warning, he started casting and they were almost hit by his spells. They kept dodging him for a minute or two but Flitwick was doing more than they had done in their turn. He was moving on his feet, keeping up with the movement of their feet while casting. Often he cast where they would have been after dodging the last volley. After 2 minutes, he sent a hex at Neville while he feinted to cast at Harry's right. When Harry lunged left, he was met with a petrification hex. Immediately he fell on his face, his hands and legs snapped close to his body which had gone rigid and he could only move his eyes. Neville had abandoned all caution when he saw Harry falling and ran towards him. Harry wanted to warn him but he could not move any part of his mouth. Flitwick casually petrified Neville too.

Flitwick released the two and motioned for them to sit in their chairs. He started speaking, "The two of you may have worked on it this week but you have miles to go before you can be ready to participate in the tournament. Mr. Potter-Black fell for my trick and went in the direction I wanted him to go. Mr. Longbottom showed great concern for his friend but he forgot that he is also being targeted and that he cannot help his friend without putting himself in peril. He also forgot that the moment Mr. Potter-Black was petrified, he was out of the duel. Therefore, Mr. Longbottom only had to pay attention to himself from that moment".

He then motioned for them to stand, "Now I will start casting will both dodge. Remember you are only to take care that you are not hit by a hex".

They practiced 3 more times. Flitwick got both of them every time. Once they were both able to keep him at bay for a whole 4 minutes which was an improvement. Flitwick told them to keep working on dodging. He also showed them Vermillious (two more variations- vermillious duo and vermillious tria) also known as Red Sparks, an excellent spell for emergencies. They knew it already but it did not hurt to hear it from the tiny charms master. It was also useful as a minor dueling could be used to distract one's opponents.

They both knew that it would be months before Flitwick would even begin to teach them dueling properly. First they would need to prove to him that they had what it took to become accomplished duel masters.

**Poltergeist Pranked**

Harry had not forgotten how Peeves the poltergeist had told on him to Dumbledore. Like Lord Black he was not one to carry a debt but settled it when he got the chance. To that effect, he went out at times during the night under his cloak to find Peeves and prank him. One night, looking at the map he found the Poltergeist hovering near the trophy room on the map. Donning his invisibility cloak, he proceeded downstairs while keeping an eye on the map.

Peeves the poltergeist was trying to open one of the trophy cases which perhaps had been locked with some spells. Harry watched him doing this for sometime before he shot a stunner at the Poltergeist. Remus had told him that little spells like that could affect him and it was easy to hit him with one when he did not see you. Peeves was considered a menace by most of the students and no one even attempted to challenge him so it was easy because he had caught Peeves unaware because he was careless towards other students. As the spell struck and the Poltergeist fell down, Harry picked him up. It was amazing to see that he felt pretty solid in that moment considering he had no body. He dragged him up with him through the stairs to the third floor where the forbidden door was. Dropping him in front of the door, he let out some cannon like blasts from his wand till he could hear Filch come running, shuffling and quietly made his escape from there. There was nothing more that he could do to the Poltergeist but it was the best that he could do for now. For a finishing touched, he lobbed the dungbombs around the corridor so Filch would think that the poltergeist had been lobbing them around. May be Dumbledore would be able to punish him in some way.

He could hear Filch's jubilant triumph when he found Peeves passed out on the floor and in front of the door to the forbidden corridor no less. Harry knew the caretaker was weaving dreams of grandeur around getting the Poltergeist expelled but he felt it was unlikely that Dumbledore would expel him from the school.

He had also thought about what the beast could be doing in a place like this. He gave a thought to what it could be guarding. He had no other clue to go on. He did not even know if he wanted to find out what it was that the beast was supposed to be guarding. The Greek myths said that the Cerberus of Hades guarded the doors of the underworld. One of its duties was to prevent any of the souls from escaping back into the mortal world. He did not know much about this kind of beast. Maybe he could ask Professor Kettleburn, who was said to be obsessed with dangerous magical creatures and had even shown chimera to the students in the past years. He did not know if he needed to meet such crazy wizards. Harry had seen the man who had lost one leg, one hand and one eye to these beasts but was still obsessed with them. He was also responsible for the Great Hall being set on fire by Ashwinder eggs during a dramatization of 'The fountain of fair fortune'.

He had not written to Arcturus about the whisper in the night yet because he himself was scared a bit and even had started to doubt himself if he had heard correctly. Surely if he was back into a body, Dumbledore would have known about it. He was one of the most powerful wizards and he had infinite ways to gather information which nobody else did. He had conferred with Neville and they both had agreed that if something like this happened again, they would go to Arcturus. There was no need to play the hero if they don't have to.

The next morning, he heard that Peeves was threatened with exorcism out of the castle if he continued to cause trouble like then, Peeves had been looking for the one who had got him in trouble with Dumbledore.

**The Great Hall**

His group of friends was sitting in the Great Hall at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. Surprisingly Ronald had joined them this morning. He had been doing this since he had managed to submit his homework on time in the past week for every subject. He still was not doing any better in his practical lessons. Harry had noticed that at times his wand movements were correct and his incantation was clear and yet the problem persisted. What he did not notice but Neville did was that his wand looked battered with the unicorn tail hair showing. He had pointed it out to Harry and they made an educated guess that perhaps his wand was not his own but a hand-me-down but there was nothing he could do about it. Ronald Weasley was sensitive about his financial condition and would not have taken kindly to them poking their noses into his financial condition, no matter that they had the best intentions at heart. All they could do was let him know about it at a suitable time.

Lisa who was sitting to his right, said to him, "Harry, it's been days since we pulled the last one. How about we do another one now?"

Corner who was sitting with Hannah asked her, "Already bored Lisa? I thought you said you never wanted to do it?"

Lisa made a sour face, "What I meant Corner was that I did not want to do a detention clearing a cupboard for Flitwick. I did not know that he kept such massive tomes in his cupboard".

Everyone had a good laugh over it.

Then Harry said, "You all remember that we went off to the village the other day. That we bought a sack of dungbombs and stink pellets each?"

Everyone nodded and he continued, "Let's use it on the Slytherins".

"How?" asked Susan. "We do not even know where their common room is".

He grinned evilly, "Leave that to me. Suffice to say that a Poltergeist with a grudge is more dangerous than a rampaging hippogriff".

**The deal**

Harry and Neville found the Poltergeist on the fifth floor in an abandoned room. After making sure that there was no portrait around and there were no ghosts or students, Harry cautiously called him, "Peeves".

The poltergeist looked at him and sing-songed, "Potty, Potty, Potter" and started to float away when out of sheer desperation, Harry said loudly, "Peeves, we know who stunned you and dropped you on the third floor".

Peeves did a barrel roll, descended to their height and said, "Potty will tell Peevsie, yes?"

Harry smirked, "What will I get if I tell you?"

Peeves cackled, "Peevsie will make trouble for one who troubles Potty".

Harry gave an evil grin, "Remember your promise, Peevsie. Now about those who stunned you, we over-heard the Slytherins talking that some of their numbers had stunned you and then dragged you to the third floor. We did not get the names so it means that you would have to take your revenge on all of them at the same time".

Peeves shook his head, "Peevsie not doing".

Harry was stumped. He had been counting on the Poltergeist to do it for him. He asked cautiously, "Why?"

"Peevsie scared of the Bloody Baron", Peeves said, nervously and fidgeting.

Now that was a problem. He had seen the Bloody Baron who looked surly. The chains he wore and the blood on his robes terrified Harry, to be honest. How could he ask a House Ghost to do him a favour? Peeves maybe could do it at a time when the Bloody Baron was not out and about.

Harry suggested to him, "You can do it when he is nowhere near them and you do not need to do it in their common room either. Do it when they are sitting at breakfast or dinner".

Peeves seemed to be contemplating what they were saying and Harry produced a bulging sack of dungbombs that he gave to the Poltergeist, "here is something to help you. Give them hell, Peevsie".

Peevsie took the sack gleefully, soared into the air and floated out of the room singing at the top of his voice, "Where there is strife, where there is trouble, call upon Peevsie, he will make it double".

Neville said to him hesitantly, "you do know you could have named Malfoy, right?"

Harry shrugged, "Neville, Malfoy is a ponce and nothing more. I will not go poking him unless he is causing trouble for me. If I started tangling with him without cause, there will be no difference between him and me. Remember we do everything for a bit of a laugh and nothing more".

Neville nodded, "I see what you mean. But we will keep an eye on him, right?"

Harry nodded, "Of course. He is our favorite Slytherin for a reason".

**Dungbombs! You stink, eww.**

Peeves did not even wait one day. That evening when the Bloody Baron was not present at the dinner table, Peeves took his chance.

Harry had asked his friends to join him at the far end of the Gryffindor had been a few raised eyebrows but nobody said anything. As it was, Harry had decided to keep sitting at that end of the table until they were sure that Peeves had made his strike. Sitting at the far end was also useful for them to talk without being overheard. Susan asked him, "Harry why are we sitting at this table?"

Harry mysteriously said, "Don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone, Susan but you will have to wait and see".

Lisa said excitedly, "Ooh! Are we going to prank the Slytherins?"

Corner hushed her, "Quietly Lisa. You don't want others to hear and I don't need another detention so soon. Father would banish me off the family tree if I am caught again".

They kept watching, eating dinner slowly and waiting to see if Peeves would strike that evening. They noticed that the Bloody Baron was not there so there was a chance he just might unless he was afraid of Dumbledore.

When nearly all the Slytherin students were at their table, Peeves flew into the Great Hall and started lobbing dungbombs at the Slytherin table, cackling, "Nasty little blighters! Troubling Peevsie! You all will pay". In the exuberance of the moment, he even lobbed a few at the adjoining Ravenclaw table.

When the dungbombs went off, the putrid smell spread in the Great Hall while students started running around in panic or to escape the foul smell. Harry covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his robe. His friends did the same. They all mixed in with the crowd so that Dumbledore would not suspect them.

Snape had his wand out and roared, "Peeves!"

Peeves blew a raspberry at him and cackled, "Snivellus! Snivellus! Slime Ball Snivellus!"

The students looked on in horror as Snape's face colour changed rapidly from white to red to purple as his expression soured. Harry was sure he was trying to rein in his anger and hatred of the name which his tormenters had given him during his time as a student.

McGonagall had her wand out and she was running forward with a curse on her tongue when Peeves decided he had enough for the day and flew out of the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore let out cannon like blast and spoke in a voice so loud that it reverberated above the din they were making, "All Prefects escort the students to your common rooms. The dinner will continue there. All the teachers report to the Staff Room".

Harry and Neville fell into a line behind Percy and walked back to their common room.

That night, the dormitories of the students and their trunks were checked for Dungbombs or any other contraband that would be useful for pranks but nothing was found for obvious reasons. Harry had already told the twins what Peevsie would be doing and they had told him that they would need to hide all the contraband that they had. It had been hidden behind the mirror on the fourth floor. Nobody except them knew about it, so they could not be made complicit in the crimes.

Peevesie was not seen in the castle for a week after the incident. Some said Dumbledore banished him, some said the ghosts chased him away, some said the Bloody Baron was after his hide but the truth was that Peevsie was hiding from the headmaster in one of the unused dungeons in the basement. Harry just hoped that he would do what he had promised in return for telling him the names of the students who had stunned him.

**I will rip your head off!**

Daphne accosted him the next day in the library. She had come to his table, tugged at his arm and stiffly jerked her head asking him to come out. Neville saw this too and they both shrunk in their seats a little. Daphne was furious and an angry Daphne was not good for their health.

They followed her at a safe distance and entered into a room behind her. She locked the door with a locking charm. Then she started thundering, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? DUNGBOMBS! I COULD NOT GET THE SMELL OUT OF MY NOSE FOR the ENTIRE NIGHT. DUNGBOMB ON MY HEAD! I HAD TO WASH MY HAIR TWICE TO GET IT CLEAN!"

Harry and Neville were amused with her rant but none of them wanted to say anything knowing they would provoke her further. When they did not speak for 5 minutes, she snapped, "What do you two miscreants have to say for yourselves?"

Neville, courageous Gryffindor that he was, opened his mouth, "Daphne, what makes you think it was our doing?"

"Of course it..." she started to say before she stopped short when she understood what they were asking of her. After a moment, she said in a small voice, "You mean to say it was not your doing?"

They both had the audacity to laugh at the expression on her face. After a minute or two, Harry said, "Of course it was our doing. We persuaded Peeves to throw the dung bombs. Now before you get your dander up again, tell me why you are so angry?"

She sighed. She could not get angry with those two anyhow. Apart from Tracy, only these two knew her well enough to know when she was really angry or if she was just faking it. "If you want to know then one of those dungbombs dropped on my head and the debris hit Tracy. My hair has never been so dirty before. I had to wash it twice".

Harry asked her, "What made you think it was our doing?"

She answered, "Snape was overheard telling that some student had given those dungbombs to Peeves who is missing right now, afraid of Dumbledore. I remembered that you were planning to go after Slytherin next and I was there when you bought those sacks of Dungbombs from Zonko's so I would have to be a troll or something to miss the obvious".

Neville worriedly asked her, "do you know if anyone else has figured this out?"

She shook her head, "No. Actually when our dormitories were raided last night, we did not have the contraband with us anymore. We had sold it to some 5th year in my house who wanted to get her revenge on some of her year mates. The contraband was recovered in her dorm and almost every house lost some points except Gryffindor. I presume you warned every lion about it?"

Harry shook his head, "No. We only warned the twins. I suppose that they let everyone else know. I seem to remember that they had brought a large haul to hide at our hiding place".

She arched an eye-brow, "Hiding place? What is this place and why do I not know about it?"

"Well, a secret hiding place wouldn't be secret if everyone knew about it. There is much that you do not know about us, Daphne", Neville said earnestly, "like one time a couple of Vampires bit us and they died".

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah! You both are the vampire slayers. Honestly, that's an old one. Tell me about this hiding place".

"There is a mirror on the fourth floor which is an opening for a hidden passageway out of school. Sadly, the way seems to have caved in so it is not useable except maybe as a concealed storage space".

She nodded, "Have you thought about what is beneath the trap door which the dog is guarding?"

Harry shook his head, "I have no and I mean no intention to go finding what is in there. I have faced that Cerberus once. I am not doing it again. No one can force me to go down there even if they pay me all the gold that I have in my vault at Gringotts".

The truth was that Harry and Neville had been back to that door once or twice. Heavy breathing, snuffling and growling was sufficient to tell them that the Cerberus was still there. They had decided that there was no need to show courage in the face of the uncertain just because they were sorted into Gryffindor. For some reason that Harry himself could not understand, he had not told Lord Black about the Cerberus. There was nothing to tell about it except that he had wandered into the area where it was contained and lose more points and possible detention.

**Let's join forces**

One night, the duo decided that it was time they did some exploring under the cover of night when they heard two people arguing. They carefully walked in the direction where they heard the argument coming from. As they turned the corner, they found that Quirrell was backed up against a wall and Severus Snape had a wand at his throat asking him in a low menacing tone, "What are you doing here, Quirrell? It is not wise to go ambling about the castle in the dead of night, especially in the forbidden corridor".

He stuttered, "Se... Sev... Severus, what... what do you mean?"

Severus drawled, 'you might be able to fool others but not me. I know what you are trying to do but I warn you Quirrell, don't try to cross me again".

Harry was trying to understand what was happening while Neville had pulled his wand out. Harry lowered it with his hand, gesturing him to stay put. He wanted to see what was going on.

Snape had released Quirrell by now, "Get lost now, Quirrell and pray that I do not find you out and about here again or you will pay for it".

Severus walked away to one side, while Quirrell slumped to his knees, crying. Harry felt pity for the defense teacher and for a moment thought to go and console him but realized that they were out after curfew hours and would end up in detention despite their noble intentions.

They cautiously walked in the other direction with an intention to raid the kitchens. They had only done it once since they started school. They thought that they ought to do it and may be host a party in the kitchens after curfew hours. That would be a right prank.

After filling their bellies, they decided that a walk through the castle might do them some good before they crashed for the night. They walked in the direction of the north tower to find the twins hexing a Slytherin prefect with a stunner. The prefect fell down like a sack of potatoes.

Harry walked out from under the cloak gesturing Neville to stay put. "Fred, George what are you both doing?"

They turned to find Harry, "Oh hello, Harry. We were just teaching him some manners".

"And what has he done to you?"

One of the twins said, "He made obscene gestures to Angelina during the day".

The other added, "When she complained, the greasy bat waved her off".

Harry was angry with the Slytherin Prefect but decided to deal with these two first, "And you openly attacked him? What were you hoping to accomplish? You will be found, given detention and may be a letter to home. How does this count as revenge?"

Fred asked him, "What do you mean?"

"Simple. He will tell the teachers tomorrow that you have both stunned him and you will be put into detention. You should have taken your revenge covertly like I did with Peeves".

Their mouths were open in surprise, "You persuaded Peeves to do that? But... but he does not take orders from anyone".

Harry smirked, "he does not take orders. I was the one who stunned him the other day and then I told him that the Slytherins were responsible for it and supplied him with the dungbombs. The rest as they say, is history".

The twins immediately started bowing to him, "You are the true heir of the Marauders!"

"How about we plan another one where he pays and we don't?" Neville asked, coming out from under the cloak.

They planned a prank to be perpetrated a few days later because anything done now would have people pointing at the twins.

**How about you fly?**

Remus had taught Harry the levitation charm and told him that there were a few hovering charms other than the levitation charm but the levitation charm was the most preferred one.

The hovering charm which was most popular before the Levitation charm came into existence could keep a person hovering at a fixed height. That is what they decided to use on the said Slytherin Prefect.

A few days after the incident when the twins were done with their detention, they stalked the prefect late at night after having learned from Percy about the Patrol Schedules.

On the second floor, where they cornered him, Harry who had been hiding in the shadows shot him with the blindfold spell, one of the twins disarmed him, Neville shot the hovering charm at his clothes making him hover in the air and the other twin shot a sticky charm at him. When Neville ended the hovering charm, the twins decided to use the Glacius on him. They needed the twins because they had not yet learned the Glacius and the twins had just studied it in their third year. They used the charm only to freeze his bits off and not to cover him in ice from head to toe. With their part in it done, Harry and Neville made a hasty and silent retreat. After they were done with that and they were at a sufficient distance, Fred and George let out cannon like blasts from their wands till they could hear Filch coming and ran off. Nobody asked the four of them about the Slytherin Prefect because there was nothing to connect them with the happenings.

**A/N- So here it is, guys, Chapter 8 of this part. I await your decision now.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hogwarts**

Two weeks had passed since they had attacked the Slytherin Prefect and there had been no pranks since then. Academics were no challenge to them since Moony had been teaching them the basics for a year. The twins asked them if they were planning a prank. They denied it saying that there would be opportunity enough for that later. For now there were secrets to unearth, witches to chase and friends to be made.

Meanwhile Ronald had started to become a part of their group with Hermione occasionally and Harry at times found it hard to lose them if he needed to. Another thing which irked him was their behaviour towards each other. They both constantly fought with each other, bickering and exchanging terse words with each other and they were both equally guilty. Ron could be a prat at times, saying or behaving as he should not. Hermione was condescending in her treatment towards others. Often times she derogated others even if she was trying to teach them something. They had their uses but if they kept it up, Harry was ready to shut them out. He could move forward without them. His plans were not so cast in stone that they could not be changed.

On the other hand, he had reliable friends in all the houses now. He had also started making some inroads with many of the older students and most of them were courteous towards him. Some were frankly curious about him while a few were downright hostile. Harry knew that only the name of Black which he carried stopped them from acting against him. Many of the older years however were friendly toward him because he had extended the offer of friendship to them. He never used any words such as ally or talk business but extended an offer of genuine friendship. What others did not know and he did not bother to correct was that he had it in mind to call upon them to honour their friendship with him when he wished.

Arcturus had also sent him a letter telling him that many of those who were in debt to House Black would do his bidding. He was keeping most of them as a contingency although there was one he was willing to use to its full extent. Pansy Parkinson was oath bound to help him when he asked due to her father signing the parchment.

He spoke with Sirius almost daily via the communication mirrors telling him with the Marauder telling him of their exploits, about his parents or how to get with witches and the like. He also tried to send a gift a day to Harry but Remus had put his foot down telling him that Harry did not need to be spoiled. he was a menace enough as he was.

**Duelling Class**

In the last two weeks, Harry and Neville had perfected Stupefy. They also worked on wide area stunners, always useful in a duel, a trick up the sleeve if you know how to use it. Then there was the bludgeoning spell.

The Bludgeoning Spell was a non lethal spell. the perfect one to use in a duel. A well placed bludgeoner to the face could put down an enemy with ease thereafter; with quick wand-work victory could be assured over the opponents.

When they arrived for the lesson this week, Flitwick was there without the table or chairs where they were normally.

As they entered, Flitwick asked them without preamble, "What did you two learn this week?"

They replied, "Professor, this week we learned the bludgeoning spell".

Flitwick smiled, "That is good, Mr. Potter-Black and Mr. Longbottom. Now it is time for us to see if you can cast it as well. Today, we will be practicing duelling. You both will duel with me on the other side. We will not be using shields. One who gets hit with the bludgeoning spell will be out of the duel."

As they both nodded, Flitwick raised his wand. He started sending bludgeoners at them making them dodge in all directions. The charms master was born with a talent for speed that made it hard for them to dodge his spells. But it was no fun if it was too easy.

As he sent his spells at them making them run around, he taunted them, "Is that how you intend to win the duel championship? By running around like headless chickens? Be a man. Face my wand".

From hard experience, Harry and Neville knew better than to stop dodging. They were running in different directions trying to evade his spells when finally Neville got an idea. Braving the spells coming his way, he finally reached Harry and whispered some words to him.

Flitwick could not make out what Neville had said. The words had a visible effect on them as they both stopped running. They turned to face him and that brought a smirk to Flitwick's lip. The lads had learned the lesson he was trying to teach them.

Before he could send another spell their way, Harry and Neville started sending spells towards him one after another. Since they were alternating their spells, there was no lull in their casting for Flitwick to go on the offensive. He kept dodging them for 5 minutes before he noticed that the gaps between the spells were increasing. He waited for 2 more minutes to see that it was not a trap before he took his chance. With a swift flick of his wand, Neville fell like a sack of potatoes. Harry started sending spells at the tiny charms Professor but Flitwick was enjoying it. Harry was berserk and casting relentlessly while Flitwick patiently dodged him for another minute before he sent a spell towards Harry while he was still moving. The spell knocked Harry down and Flitwick won the duel.

After they were defeated, he produced three chairs with a flick of his wand. He motioned for them to sit. After they made themselves comfortable, he asked Neville, "What did you say to him at that moment? It must have been something to bring such a change in tactics".

Neville grinned, "I just reminded him Professor that we are on the same team. we should work together rather than by ourselves. That way, we will have a chance to win against you".

Flitwick nodded in appreciation, "That was well thought out, Mr. Longbottom however you both still lost. Can any of you tell me why?"

Harry replied, "Professor, we kept up the casting for too long against you. We were beginning to tire ourselves out. If we had conserved our energy, then we may have stood a chance at winning against you".

Neville added, "After I was hit, Harry started to cast relentlessly which made it hard for him to dodge your spells".

Flitwick nodded, "Well pointed out, Mr. Longbottom. For next time, you have to remember that your strength cannot last forever so you have to conserve it as much as you can. Also as I have told you both so many times, try to use magic for everything you do which will help your core accommodate to the increased need. Then you can last longer in a duel. Also try to work in co-ordination with each other".

**Do you play fetch?**

One evening, Harry realised that he needed to talk with Daphne without fear of being found out. He had carved to have a conversation with her as they used to when he was living in Black Castle. So, he slipped her a message to meet him outside the Slytherin Common Room when they were in the library. This was one of those rare chances when he met Daphne in the absence of Neville since he was in the Greenhouses, learning about a plant from Professor Sprout.

When he asked her about it, she raised an eyebrow, "How would you know where the Slytherin Common Room is?"

Harry smirked, "Perhaps we forgot to tell you, Daphne but we have a little beauty called 'The Marauder's Map' which is the most accurate map of Hogwarts to exist to date. It shows everyone's position to me. Add to that, I have Remus Lupin who was one of the Marauders. He helped chart the map. I know almost everything about Hogwarts".

She glared at him, "just when you were planning to tell me about this miraculous map?"

Harry shrugged, "We were not hiding it from you in the first place, Daph. It just never came up while the three of us were alone, talking. You know that we don't hide anything from you".

She nodded, "So what is the plan for tonight? Surely you are not just making me get out of bed because you suddenly fancy a mid-night stroll?"

Harry shook his head, "I want to do exactly that. Neville has turned me down twice. He said that we would have lots of time for it later. Another reason is that I have not properly talked to you ever since we came to Hogwarts".

She nodded, "So, will Neville be joining us?"

Harry sighed, "What? Is my company not sufficient for you?"

Daphne shook her head, "I did not mean it that way". Then with a flirtatious flutter of the eyes she said, "if you prefer, we can always arrange to keep Neville out of the way".

Finally it was agreed that they would meet after the curfew was underway. They would take a stroll to the Astronomy Tower where they could spend a couple of hours without anyone disturbing them.

Harry patiently waited for everyone to go to their bed that night while sitting on his invisibility cloak in the common room, pretending to be engrossed in a book on defense.

A few of his friends asked him how he was or what he was up to but none of them stayed back when they saw that he was engrossed in the book. However one, Hermione Granger, could not keep her silence. She took the chair beside him, asked, "Harry, what are you reading?"

Harry did not speak. He just showed her the cover and returned to his reading. After 5 minutes of silence, Hermione huffed then went to find a book to read. Harry did not respond to her.

When everyone was up in their beds, he donned the cloak. Then he went downstairs. He found the Slytherin Common Room without any trouble. He found a couple of them who were leaving the common room to break curfew. Perhaps to engage in some pranks. He sorely regretted not having brought Neville with him or they could have stunned these students and left them for Filch to find. Even Peeves was not around to ask for help! He mentally resolved to give these students some grief some other day.

As he stood watching the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, suddenly the door opened and Daphne exited the Common Room. She was staying in the shadows, trying to find Harry near the entrance of the Common Room. Harry stood to one side. He kept watching her fumble in the dark in vain trying to find him before he decided to pull a little trick on her.

Silently, he walked up behind her and before she could understand what was going on, he had his hand clamped over her mouth and covered her with the cloak. She was trying to shout and to bite his hand when he pulled her close. He whispered in her ear, "Calm down, Daphne. It is me, Harry".

She indeed calmed down after she realized it was him. He took her by the hand and guided her towards the kitchens. When they were on their way to the kitchens, Daphne asked him in a whisper, "How did you come into possession of an Invisibility Cloak? Why do I not know about it?"

Harry whispered to her, "Wait for a few minutes. I will tell you all about it".

10 minutes later, they were in the kitchens and her eyes were spread in wonder when she looked around her at everything in the kitchen from the utensils to the fire-place to the huge tables. Most of the elves had retired for the night but a couple of them were still awake. They rushed towards them, "What wes be doing you to Sir and Miss?"

Harry asked them, "May we have some dessert? Treacle Tarts if possible. And lots of it". The elves ran to find the requested commodity.

He turned to Daphne, "The cloak is a family heirloom. It has been in my family for generations but I only recently found it. My father used it to wreck havoc in the school during his time here. Now it will help me in the noble cause of Mischief Making".

She snorted, "You are perfectly capable of any mischief without it. This will only help you more. Now why do I not know about it?"

"Daphne, the existence of this cloak is a well-kept Potter family secret. If word got out, I would be hounded with requests from numberless witches and wizards to see it, touch it or study it. Besides, since I learned about it, we have not had enough privacy for me to tell you anything. Nobody other than you and Neville know about it yet. I will be grateful if you can keep it that way".

She smiled, "Of course I will, provided I can get my hands on this beauty at times".

"See what I mean? No sooner do you find out about the thing than you ask to borrow it. I will let you borrow it but you must make absolutely sure that nobody else has any way to find out about it. I do not really trust too many people with a secret like this. Remember what Lord Black says- Something is not a secret if a third person knows about it".

She raised an eyebrow, "Lord Black? I do remember him trying his best to make you address him as Lord Black or Grand-father. You never did so in his hearing. What brought this change?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "You ask too many questions, just like Hermione Granger. You both are too much like each other, nature wise".

She curtly said, "I am nothing like Hermione Granger. She is a know-it-all who flaunts her knowledge just to prove that she knows everything. I am not daft enough to do something like that".

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "We will see. Right now, how about we start moving towards the Astronomy Tower?"

When they were nearing the third floor walking slowly under the cloak, Daphne asked him in a whisper, "Can you show me the Cerberus?"

Harry refused immediately, "No way. I have seen him once. That is sufficient for a life-time".

They were ascending the stairs to the fourth floor when it happened. There was a commotion on the third floor and they saw Professor Quirrell being thrown away from the forbidden corridor on the third floor. Daphne started to scream but Harry had clamped her mouth firmly. Without making a sound, they returned to the third floor to find out what had happened. They were curious as to who could have used a banishing charm on a Professor. There was a niche on the third floor where perhaps a suit of armour stood once but now it was empty. He and Daphne slipped into that niche and waited to see what would happen.

They did not have to wait for long before Snape came into their view coming from the direction of the forbidden corridor. He had a menacing expression on his face, his wand levelled at Quirrell.

He spoke so softly that Harry could hardly hear him, "I warned you not to roam about Quirrell. You are trying to know more than what is good for you. What were you doing here?"

Quirrell was stuttering, "I. I. I was p. patrolling the corridors, Severus".

Severus drawled, "Patrolling? It is not your turn to patrol tonight. Do you want me to report you to Dumbledore? I have warned you not to cross my path and consider this my final warning".

Harry silently pulled Daphne with him and they climbed up to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Luckily there were no classes there tonight so they would not be spotted. After locking the door from his side, Harry and Daphne sat together on the edge of the roof, dangling their legs, eating treacle tarts.

Daphne finally asked him, "What was that going on between Snape and Quirrell?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. For some reason Snape or Quirrell is interested in the forbidden corridor. The other one is trying to stop him. I do not know who is who though".

She was looking at the stars in the sky. She asked him, "Harry, can I ask a favour?"

Harry turned to her, "There are no formalities between the three of us, Daph. You can ask whatever you want".

She asked, "May I get a chance to fly on your broom?"

He turned to her looking incredulous, "Of all the things in the world, you are asking if you can fly on my Nimbus!"

She nodded, "I have heard it is the best broom out there so I wanted to see it for myself".

Harry shrugged, "You did not even have to ask that from me, Daph. You could simply order me to do it".

She grinned, "Then I am ordering you to take me to see the three headed dog".

He shook his head almost instantly, "No way. Not doing that, Daphne. I do not even know if we can tame it".

Daphne asked him, "Have you tried Obedience School with him?"

Harry snorted, "Daphne, he is not your Crup Max but a gigantic three headed Cerberus. I doubt if he even knows how to play fetch, let alone doing Obedience School".

She however was unconvinced. She called for her elf Kippy and asked the elf to bring her a big stick and a rubber ball. When Harry asked her why she was asking for it, she told him she was feeling adventurous".

Knowing it could be fatal to Daphne, Harry accompanied her under the cloak. When they reached the forbidden corridor on the third floor, Harry opened the door with the unlocking charm. they entered one after another. The Cerberus was sleeping. He woke up instantly the moment he caught their scent.

It started to growl. In a firm, commanding tone, Daphne said, "Sit".

The Cerberus looked at her as if she had come from another world for a whole minute not knowing whether to obey her command or not. It was like it was trying to decide what to do.

Daphne meanwhile had taken out the ball and stepped forward towards it saying, "You will get this ball if you are a good boy. Now who is a good boy?"

To Harry's amazement, the dog actually started to wag its tail before he went rigid again. Daphne made the right choice in that moment and threw the ball his way. He snapped it out of the air with one of its heads and the ball disappeared in the next moment. Where it was gone was not clear but the growl which came from him unnerved both of them.

Harry started tugging at her sleeve, "Daph, let's go before we end up as dinner for him".

He did not know if they could make their escape in time.

To his amazement, Daphne had taken out the stick. She was waving it in the beast's face saying, "You are a good boy, aren't you? You want this stick?"

She deliberately threw it high into the air for the dog to catch. While He lunged for the stick, Harry quickly dragged her out of the room. Just before Harry closed the door behind them, they saw that the dog had snapped the stick in two. He was rushing at the door perhaps to maim them.

Closing the door behind them, Harry threw the cloak over themselves so they would not be caught. They kept walking downward towards the dungeons while Harry admonished her, "We could have been injured Daph. Next time you have an insane idea like that, please tell me before you act on it".

She smirked, "Scared, Harry?"

He huffed, "I am not scared Daphne but I am not such an idiot that I would risk my life for idiotic things such as this. This was totally unnecessary. We learned nothing from this".

She admonished him, "We know now that the dog cannot be tamed by anyone. Also the way it was guarding the trap door, I can bet that even a killing curse could not make it move away".

**The Wizengamot**

It was time for the monthly meeting of the Wizengamot. Arcturus had put all the pieces in their place on his chess board. Now it was time for him to make his move.

At the time set for the session to begin, Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Close the doors.". As the doors closed, he proclaimed further "Let the Wizengamot session for October 1991 begin".

After a few moments, he turned to the gathered members, "Is there any notice or announcement to be made by any of our esteemed Houses before we proceed to daily business?"

Arcturus stood up at his place, "Yes, Chief Warlock. House Black has an announcement. Sirius Orion Black is hereby appointed as the Regent for House Black until Heir Hadrian Potter-Black reaches the age of majority to take his place in this gathering of peers. Furthermore, as I am the guardian of Hadrian Potter-Black by virtue of the last will and testament of Lord James Potter and Lady Lily Potter, it is within my right to appoint a regent to look after the daily business of House Potter. I, by this authority, appoint Remus Lupin as the Lord Regent of House Potter until Hadrian Potter- Black reaches the age of majority".

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Very well. Are there any objections?"

Of course no one had any objections to this. It was private business. Arcturus was within his rights to make the appointments.

Dumbledore waited the required half a minute. When there were no objections raised to the appointments, he rapped his gavel, "Very well. Are Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin here?"

They were both present in the spectator stands. They stood at their places. Dumbledore turned to them, "Lord Arcturus Orion Black has appointed Sirius Black as Lord Regent for House Black and Remus Lupin as Lord Regent for House Potter. Do you both accept?"

They both nodded, "We accept Chief Warlock".

Dumbledore motioned for them to take their places. Sirius resumed his seat in the spectator stands while Remus moved towards the seat of House Potter. Dumbledore turned to Elphias Doge sitting in the Potter seat, "We are thankful for the services you rendered to House Potter, Mr. Doge. Now please vacate the seat in favour of one appointed by those in charge of affairs".

Elphias stood. He shook hands warmly with Lupin before taking a seat in the spectator stands.

Lord Black stood again, "I have another announcement to make. Henceforth in every session of this august body, House Black will sit in the Light faction".

This motion caused rumbling among the gathered members. Nobody could remember if House Black had ever sat in the Light Faction before. This would give another vote to the Light Faction directly and many others indirectly because House Black had been very influential since its inception. despite changing sides, many houses from the Dark Faction would continue to support it.

Dumbledore turned to the gathering again, "Very Well. Are there any motions to be made before we proceed to daily matters?"

Arcturus stood, "Chief Warlock, I request your leave to address the Wizengamot".

Dumbledore nodded, "Leave so granted, Lord Black".

Arcturus turned to the Wizengamot, "My fellow Lords and Ladies, a decade ago when we were trying to recover from the effects of a war which had almost destroyed our world, Cornelius Fudge the esteemed minister of Magic trampled upon the rights of a member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black and refused to grant him a trial. The previous administration had denied this basic right to Sirius Black and Mr. Fudge refused my requests repeatedly. He did not deign to grant my request. In fact, he sealed the minutes of the tribunal proceedings and blocked all attempts to look into the matter for ten years. Additionally, he violated my rights when he acted in connivance with Lucius Malfoy and appointed him as Lord Regent for House Black without my approval. This is a blatant violation of our position, of our privileges. He has also failed to lead Wizarding Britain into a better era than the previous one as he had harped on about when he was trying to become the minister. Therefore, I bring a motion of non-confidence against the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge".

Nicholas Greengrass stood, "And I second that motion, Chief Warlock".

Dumbledore smiled gently, "You are out of order, Lord Greengrass, but I will allow it".

Dumbledore was surprised with this turn of events. He had expected some backlash for Fudge due to his violation of the rights of an Ancient and Most Noble House. But to chuck the Minister for Magic out of office was certainly ambitious. Now he was interested to see if Arcturus had the numbers to make it happen. The Dark Faction was united behind Malfoy. They would not vote against Fudge who was the perfect puppet for them. The Light would be divided because Arcturus was from a Dark House. The neutrals were never united on a single issue.

He rapped his gavel, "Very well. Lord Arcturus Orion Black has brought a motion of non-confidence against the minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge. The motion has been seconded by Lord Nicholas Greengrass. If anybody has to speak for or against the motion, they can do so before we move to vote on it".

As they were sure of having the numbers, Arcturus and his allies had decided not to speak. The Dark was under obligation to Arcturus so they could not speak against him. When no one spoke for a minute, Dumbledore rapped his gavel again, "Since no one is going to speak for or against the motion, we will proceed to vote on the motion. All those in favour please raise your wands".

Wands from every faction went up which surprised even Dumbledore. He had not expected it to be so one-sided. Even most of his supporters from the light were voting for ousting Cornelius from his office.

He spoke again, "All those against the motion".

When the vote was finally tallied, there were 50 in favour of the motion while 30 were either opposed or not present. Dumbledore turned to Fudge, "Mr. Fudge, we thank you for your services as Minister of Magic. Please take a seat in the spectator stands in the meanwhile till we are adjourned. Furthermore, Lord Black can prosecute you for violation of his rights, appointing a Regent without his approval. Your dismissal from office would have no bearing on the consequences of the prosecution".

Fudge was in shock. The reality of what had just happened to him seemed like a nightmare that he could not wake up from. In one stroke, his career was ruined. he was already gone. It happened so swiftly that he did not even get a whiff of what was coming his way. The thing which hurt him most was that his friend Lucius had voted against him on this issue. He had favoured Lucius so many times. Lucius stabbed him in the back when times were not opportune to him. He swore to ensure that the Wizarding World knew of the infamy of Lucius Malfoy.

Dumbledore was saying, "Since there is no minister, we will now take nominations. Are there any nominations?"

Augusta Longbottom stood, "I nominate Amelia Bones as the next Minister of Magic".

Lord Fawley stood, "I second the nomination".

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Lady Regent Longbottom has nominated Madam Bones for the next minister of Magic which has been seconded by Lord Fawley. Madam Bones, do you accept the nomination?"

Amelia stood at her seat, "Yes, Chief Warlock. I accept the nomination".

Dumbledore turned to the Wizengamot again, "Are there any more nominations for the post of Minister of Magic?"

With a glare that Arcturus had sent Malfoy's way, Lucius decided not to field his candidate. It was part of the deal that he would have to fulfil. Otherwise House Malfoy would be dishonoured in Britain too. He had to go through with it or move to Canada. The old man could and would declare that the decree was not fulfilled otherwise and would forfeit his honour anyway. It was better if he kept quiet for now.

When no other name was forthcoming for 5 minutes, Dumbledore declared, "Since there are no other nominations for Minister of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones, head of DMLE and Regent of House Bones is elected unopposed to the post of Minister of Magic. Congratulations Minister Bones".

After she was elected, she took her place at the seat of the Minister. She started addressing the Wizengamot, "I am thankful to the Wizengamot for considering me worthy of being the Minister of Magic, giving me a chance to serve our society more effectively. I plan to work for the betterment of our society with co-operation from everyone irrespective of any classification which you might have drawn".

After she was done speaking, Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Does the minister of Magic have any announcements to be made before we move to daily matters?"

Amelia stood, "Yes Chief Warlock. Firstly, I would like to appoint Rufus Scrimgeour as the head of DMLE. Secondly Gawain Robards as the head of Aurors succeeding Rufus in that position. Also, the DMLE has started an investigation into allegations regarding the conduct of the erstwhile Minister of Magic. we have received concrete evidence of his being involved in corrupt practices. as such, he is being injuncted from leaving the borders of Wizarding Britain pending the outcome of the investigation. We will release details regarding the investigation only after the trial, if any, is complete".

The session was ended soon after when the daily matters were dealt with. Dumbledore was about to leave for Hogwarts when Arcturus stopped him, "Dumbledore, may I have a word?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Certainly Lord Black. When would it be convenient for you?"

Arcturus calmly replied, "You are invited to the current seat of House Black located at #12, Grimmauld Place tomorrow evening for dinner. There are things that you need to know. I have already invited Amelia to it. There are steps we must take so that our society will not fall back into the chaos of war".

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "It would be preferable if you could speak clearly, Lord Black but no matter, I will present myself at the seat of residence of House Black tomorrow".

**You pelted me with dung-bombs?**

A few days ago the twins had caused mayhem just outside the Great Hall in their pursuit of pranks. They had peppered the Slytherins with dung-bombs when they were coming to the Great Hall and they had not been caught. Since then Filch had been trying to catch the mischief makers but had been unsuccessful so far.

Harry and his friends were also wary of the caretaker and had decided to abstain from pranking for a few days. It was not their modus anyhow.

One evening when Ernie was coming to the Great Hall, he walked into a scene where some of the Slytherins were bombarding the caretaker by peppering him with dung-bombs.

By the time Filch was able to look for them, they were gone and he found Ernie to be the one on the spot. Before poor Ernie understood what was happening, Filch clapped hands on him.

Filch sneered, "So… You thought it would be great fun to throw dung-bombs at me? Let's just see if what comes next is great fun too. I will have you expelled for this. Oh I so wish I could hang you by your thumbs then whip you".

Ernie was vehemently protesting but the caretaker was not ready to hear anything. It would have been a nightmare but for Professor Flitwick who stopped the two of them. He asked Filch, "Mr. Filch, where are you dragging him off to?"

Argus still sneering, replied, "Professor, he was throwing dung-bombs at me".

Ernie vehemently protested, "Professor, I did not have any dung-bombs with me. It was some other students I know nothing about. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time".

Flitwick stopped him with a gesture of his hand. He turned to Filch, "Mr. Filch, did you see him throwing dung-bombs at you?"

Filch replied, "No Professor but he was the only one there".

Flitwick asked further, "Did you check his pockets or his hands to see if they were covered with grime from using or handling dung-bombs?"

Filch hesitated answering, "No Professor".

"Then I am afraid you cannot detain him like that, Mr. Filch. Unhand him this moment and apologise to Mr. Macmillan or I will be forced to report your conduct to the Headmaster".

Filch released Ernie's hand from his grasp. He mumbled, "I apologise for my conduct".

Flitwick turned to Ernie then, "Now run along, Mr. Macmillan. Curfew starts in 10 minutes".

The next morning, Harry chose the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. They sat there eating breakfast when Ernie came up to him.

He said urgently, "Harry, I need your help".

He had been listening to something Susan was saying but the bit of urgency in Ernie's voice attracted his attention. He turned to find the other boy looking angry. He asked in his most calm voice, "What happened, Ernie?"

Ernie retold everything about what happened last night, what the caretaker had done. When he was done retelling, Harry's mind was made up to do something about Filch and the students that had tried to frame Ernie, but not today.

He turned to Ernie, "Look mate, he will get his reckoning. Let's not do anything right away. I don't want to give anyone, especially Professor Flitwick a chance to connect his repayment with you. You know what they say, _Revenge is a dish best served cold_".

Ernie grinned evilly, "Alright mate. You do this for me and I will owe you one".

Neville cautioned him, "Don't say things like that to him lightly mate. You don't know what he may ask in return".

Just then the owl mail started coming in. a barn owl landed before him carrying his copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry untied the newspaper and spread it out while noticing that there was total silence in the Great Hall. It soon became clear that the news story covering the first page was the reason.

_"MINISTER OUSTED FROM OFFICE_

_By Jane Fraser_

_The regular monthly session of the Wizengamot for the month of October 1991 turned out to be a power show by the Houses. In a blatant display of their powers, they ousted the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge from his office._

_Business for the day started out with the recently returned Lord Arcturus black appointing Sirius Black as the Lord Regent for House Black. Also in his capacity as Guardian to Hadrian Potter-black, also known as The Boy Who Lived, he also appointed Remus Lupin as the Lord Regent for House Potter._

_In a surprise move, Lord Black next announced that House Black would now sit in the Light Faction as opposed to its historical stance of sitting in the dark faction._

_When it was time for motions, in an unprecedented move in the session of the Wizengamot yesterday, Lord Arcturus Orion Black of the House of Black brought a motion of non-confidence against Mr. Fudge which was supported by Lord Greengrass who is the de facto leader of the Neutrals. Surprisingly the Wizengamot was together behind this move by Lord Black. Here I would like to remind our readers that recently Lord Black was heard vowing to have Mr. Fudge's head for usurping his rights. we are of the opinion that this was a vendetta on his part against the erstwhile Minister. When the Chief Warlock invited the members to speak for or against the motion, not one member of the Wizengamot spoke to support or oppose the motion._

_Since the motion was one-sided from the start, the motion passed with 50 voting in support of the motion while 30 either voted against or abstained from voting._

_With Mr. Fudge being ousted from his office, the Chief Warlock called for nominations and Lady Regent of House Longbottom Augusta Longbottom nominated the erstwhile chief of DMLE Amelia Bones which was seconded by Lord Fawley._

_In perhaps another historic moment, Amelia Bones was unanimously elected to office after none of the factions fielded a candidate against Madam Bones. In her first act as Minister of Magic, she promoted Rufus Scrimgeour as Head of DMLE and Gawain Robards to the position of Head Auror. She also revealed that investigations were underway into Mr. Fudge's conduct and as such, he is injuncted from leaving the borders of Wizarding Britain with Lord Black still having the right to prosecute him for usurping his rights._

_Mr. Fudge was quoted as saying, "For all the service that I rendered to the Ministry of Magic, I have been duped by the Wizengamot. I have been betrayed by those for whose welfare I acted"._

_We tried to get comments from the Minister or Lord Black but we were unable to reach them before this edition went to print."_

After he was done reading, he turned to Susan to find her looking at him. She had a sly smile on her face, "So, it was Lord Black's doing?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really know, Susan. His mind works in mysterious ways".

Neville who was sitting with him said, "Of course it was his doing. He is a shrewd person. a Slytherin through and through. But he could not have done it without Madam Bones's help".

**Counsels exchanged**

When Albus Dumbledore arrived for his meeting with Lord Black, he found the current seat of residence of House Black to be the opposite of what he thought it would be like. He had thought it would be a gloomy, dark, musty townhouse openly displaying its allegiance to Slytherin House full of Dark Magic objects but contrary to his line of thought, the Townhouse was well ventilated, there were no signs of allegiance with House Slytherin and there were certainly no dark objects spread throughout the house. The townhouse had the aura of a house well lived in.

Sirius greeted him at the entrance of the Townhouse, "Welcome Headmaster. I am happy to see you here today".

Dumbledore beamed at him, "Sirius my boy, it is exhilarating to see that you are doing so well. It is indeed a pleasure to see you in the bloom of your health again. This takes off a little of the burden that I carry when I think about your illegal incarceration".

Sirius waved him off, "That is water under the bridge now, Albus. I know you would have got me out of there if you could. We cannot bring back what is lost so we should focus on what is ahead of us".

Sirius led him to the meeting room where Lord Black was sitting in an overstuffed arm-chair like the one he had at Hogwarts while those meant for visitors were simple wood backed chairs like the ones Minerva preferred.

His eyes twinkling, Dumbledore whipped out his wand. He conjured his favourite chair out of thin air then took a seat.

Arcturus smirked at this display of power and could not avoid making a comment, "Showing off under my roof, Albus? I know you have got style but was it necessary to put on such a display?"

Dumbledore graciously smiled, "I am partial to this kind of chair, Lord Black. They are comfortable for old wizards like us".

Sirius snorted, "Old? You? I can bet you can do the waltz if the need be even now".

Arcturus growled, "Alright, alright Sirius. We are here to discuss an issue of importance, to ask questions, to exchange counsel about things which are of importance".

Dumbledore nodded, "Then what are we waiting for?"

Arcturus called, "Travistor".

His loyal elf Trvistor appeared bowing to him, "You called, master?"

He turned to the elf, "Travistor, please bring me the cider wood box engraved with the Black crest. It is kept in the drawer of the table in the Lord's study".

The elf disappeared with a pop and he turned to Dumbledore again, "There are things of vital importance to be discussed so I am waiting for a couple more people to arrive".

As the elf re-appeared with the box, they heard the floo activating twice in rapid succession. Amelia Bones entered the meeting room followed by Augusta Longbottom.

Dumbledore was incredibly confused now. What would Augusta Longbottom, the Regent of a family as light as Longbottom have to do with House of Black? In fact, it was the descendants of House Black who were responsible for the condition of Frank and Alice Longbottom. He however decided to keep his peace for now. He would try to find the connection later. He also wondered for a moment as to why the Minister of Magic was acting so favourably towards Lord Black. Then he realised that perhaps Arcturus had become part of the Great Alliance when he shifted from Dark to Light. It also made him realise that Arcturus was the architect behind the downfall of Cornelius Fudge and then the rise of Amelia Bones as the minister. A lot of things had happened under his nose and he had been none the wiser. He would have to keep his eyes and ears open in the future.

By this time, Augusta and Amelia had taken their seats and they were joined by Sirius and Remus. Arcturus looked at everyone in their turn. After a few moments, he started speaking, "What I am going to tell you all today is of an extremely sensitive nature. I cannot proceed to say a word more unless I am given some form of assurance that none of you will ever speak of this to anyone else".

Amelia, who was the Minister now was concerned that any such promise may conflict with her duties, asked, "What form of assurance are you seeking Lord Black? You do know that I am the minister. I cannot give my word to conceal anything contrary to the public interest".

Arcturus took a deep breath before he started to speak again, "Amelia, the piece of news that I have to share is so important that if the wizarding world were to know about it then there would be mass hysteria and panic. That is the reason I am asking assurance from you all. I assure you that you would do anything in your power to keep it under wraps once I am done telling".

Dumbledore who had been noticing Arcturus's facial expressions, his hand movements guessed that it was too sensitive a topic to bicker about. He turned to Amelia, "Minister Bones, I think we should give an assurance to Lord Black because there are only a few things which have ever troubled him in his life".

Amelia sighed then turned to Lord Black, "Can you give me just a hint of what is to come so that it may make it easier for me to decide if I need to give an assurance or not".

Arcturus gave an evil smirk, "So, if you want a sneak peak then listen closely. LORD VOLDEMORT IS NOT DEAD.".

Dumbledore's reaction had been neutral. He was just a bit surprised that Arcturus knew of it but he already knew the truth about Voldemort's death. He was only interested to know how Arcturus knew about it. Amelia had stifled a cry from escaping her throat. Such horrible news and the old wizard had thrown it out like that for them to hear. Augusta had gasped in shock but controlled her features quickly. Sirius knew about it from Remus so there had been no reaction from him about it.

Amelia took some time to compose herself before she started speaking, "By Merlin's Beard, Lord Black. You should not speak of such things so abruptly. I can understand how much panic this news could cause so I agree to take a Magical Oath to not disclose this to anyone".

Arcturus turned to Dumbledore, "You do not seem surprised by this revelation, Albus?"

Dumbledore who was looking grim now, said in a slow, calm voice, "When Voldemort was vanquished at the end of the previous war, I had realised that he is not dead. I have been trying to find what became of him. As far as I have gathered, he is living as a wraith, barely surviving but not quite dead. He was injured at that time and it took him a lot of effort to be able to function once more. I think I know what kept him alive despite being hit by his own rebounding killing curse".

Arcturus smirked, "So, you are not as naive as you would have us believe. I do not think for a moment that one firmly entrenched in light would have known these things like you. You do know how the dark works, I presume".

Dumbledore smiled, "Lord Black, you are very perceptive. Yes, I have had my run-ins with dark magic over the years. First it was Grindelwald now it is Voldemort, both of them Dark Lords, well adept in Necromancy".

Amelia turned to Lord Black, "Pardon my intrusion. Unless you both explain things to me I do not think I will understand anything".

Arcturus turned to her, "Before I start narrating what I know as a certain fact, I want some answers from Albus here. I will also need a magical oath from each of you to not discuss what we are going to talk about here unless we have agreed that others need to know about it".

There was no question that they would not agree with what Arcturus asked of them. They each took a magical oath to that effect.

Arcturus turned to Dumbledore, "Albus there are some questions I need to ask of you to fill in the gaps of the knowledge that I have. Are you amenable to answer them? Do remember that you cannot keep any secrets in this matter".

Albus nodded, "I can see the time to keep secrets is past, Lord Black. Ask your questions".

Arcturus took a deep breath while contemplating the questions to ask. He had a lot of them but he could not go about throwing them out left and right. He turned to Dumbledore and asked the first question, "What made James and Lily Potter go into hiding? Did it have something to do with Neville Longbottom too?"

Albus smiled, "You do not beat around the bush, Lord Black. Since I have agreed, I will answer the questions the best I can. Shortly before Neville and Harry were born, I was interviewing a candidate for the job of Divination teacher. I did not personally favour divination, but the candidate was descended from a reputed Seer. Out of courtesy I agreed to give her an interview. I met her in the Hogs head. It was clear from the start that she did not have the gift. I was about to leave when she went into a trance. Then she gave a prophecy. The prophecy concerned Voldemort and a child who would be born at the end of the seventh month. I will not tell you the contents of the prophecy but it said that Voldemort would choose his nemesis. There were some other qualifications and going by them, there were only two children who would fit the bill. They were Hadrian Potter-Black and Neville Longbottom. Unfortunately, a death eater who was snooping around the inn, in hopes of getting some news, heard the first part of the prophecy before the bar-keeper caught him listening at the door and threw him out. He rushed to tell Voldemort about what he had heard based on the half-knowledge, he chose Hadrian Potter-Black as his nemesis.

Since I knew the whole thing, I alerted the parents of both children about it. I bade them to hide until the threat was over. Taking my advice James and Lily, Frank and Alice went into hiding. Alas! I did not know that James and Lily would be betrayed by one they trusted. Voldemort's act to attack little Harry on that Halloween sealed the connection between them marking him as his nemesis. I had hoped to save all of them when I advised them to go into hiding. It ended up that I could not save any of them".

Sirius who had been sitting quietly then turned to Albus. He growled, "Why did you not tell James plainly about the prophecy? If you did, he might have taken more precautions for his safety".

Albus did not lose his grand-fatherly demeanour, "Sirius, when I learned that because of the prophecy, that Voldemort was hunting the Potters and the Longbottoms, I rushed to Potter Manor to Lord Charlus Potter. I told him about the gravity of the situation and he called James and Lily. They were told about the prophecy, the threat it posed and they took a magical oath to never tell about it to anyone else unless I permitted it. I did the same with Frank and Alice. They knew what they were facing when they went into hiding".

Augusta asked him, "What became of the Prophecy? Does it mean that he will actively look for Neville still?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "No. He had chosen Harry. At that moment, the sword of Prophecy hanging over both their heads had shifted to Harry solely".

Remus asked what they had missed, "What became of the death-eater, Headmaster? Was he caught and punished?"

Albus took some time to answer that question, "No, I knew of his identity but he ceased to exist after the first war".

Arcturus growled, "Where is the prophecy now?"

"In the Hall of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries from where it can only be removed from that place by either Voldemort or Hadrian Potter-Black", replied Dumbledore.

Then Arcturus asked, "When did you know that Voldemort was not dead? Do you know about his origin?"

Amelia turned to Albus, "Answer his questions, Albus. I have a feeling that we have just started to scratch the surface". They noticed then that she had a note-pad opened before her with a dicta quill hovering over it, recording every word which was being said.

Albus closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts for a few minutes while others sat watching him. After a minute or two, he opened his eyes and started speaking, "Voldemort is not his real name. It was just a made-up name he had taken after he left Hogwarts to appear mysterious, to impress his followers. He is not a pureblood either. He is actually a half-blood. He was born of the union of a squib and a muggle. His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. His mother was a daughter of the House of Gaunt, the last descendants of Slytherin. They were famous for marrying among their cousins, in addition to being known for their trait of insanity. The Gaunts lived near the village of Little Hangleton where they had just a squalid shack to call their own. They had squandered their gold generations ago. Merope, his mother, took a shine to Tom Riddle, son of the Riddle Family who were landlords in that area. Since she was a squib, they treated her like filth. They constantly degraded her. Merope's brother, Morffin was sent to Azkaban for muggle bating and attacking ministry officials along with her father, Marvolo was also sent to Azkaban for attacking a ministry official when he came to serve a summons on Morffin to his hearing on the charge of muggle baiting. With her father and her brother gone, Merope had found some freedom, and perhaps some confidence that came with being free at last. To fulfil her desire, she brewed a love potion".

Dumbledore deliberately took a pause to see how the others would react. Amelia was horrified at where this was going, "Do you mean to tell me that she actually fed a love potion to the muggle".

Dumbledore continued grimly, "I am sorry to say, she did exactly that. How she did it is beyond my comprehension but she had bewitched the poor muggle and they eloped. About a year later, Tom Riddle returned to Little Hangleton without his bride telling people that she had bewitched him. By this time, Marvolo who had been released from Azkaban perished because he did not know how to care for himself and also perhaps in sorrow for the loss of his family heirloom".

Sirius asked, "What heirloom? And why did the love potion stop working?"

Dumbledore took a pause before continuing, "I do not really know why. I guess that Merope who had started to love him stopped feeding him love potions thinking he would reciprocate her feelings but he did not. It turns out she was pregnant when he left her. When he left, she lost her will to live. Later that year, she turned up at an Orphanage in London on a dreary winter day where she gave birth to a child. She lived only long enough to name him Tom after her husband and Marvolo after her father. He remained there until he received his Hogwarts Letter. Even when he was little, he realised that he was different from others. He had some uncommon powers. He used those to bully others into submission before him. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he was sorted into Slytherin almost instantly. I did not realise his family heritage until later".

When Dumbledore took a pause in his narration, Arcturus asked him, "You said nothing of the Heirloom which Merope supposedly had".

Dumbledore shrugged, "That is because I have a feeling that the heirloom has nothing to do with what we are discussing here today".

Arcturus barked, "Let me be the judge of that".

Dumbledore shrugged, "As you wish, Lord Black. The Gaunts were the last descendants of Slytherin so they had inherited the famed necklace of Slytherin. Sometime during the time when Merope was fending for herself, she sold it to Borgins and Burke who paid her only 10G for it".

Arcturus was flabbergasted, "Those cretins! They paid a paltry sum of 10G for that priceless artefact?"

Amelia hushed him. Then she turned to Dumbledore again, "How did you realise that Voldemort is not dead but only vanquished?"

Albus adopted a scholarly demeanour, "What I am going to say now is mostly guesswork because I do not have concrete evidence to support my statements but my guesses are generally correct. Shortly before the war ended, I was trying to document Tom Riddle's life, collecting as many memories as I could find about his family. I came across a memory from Bob Ogden who was the ministry official who was sent to serve the summons on Morffin. In his memory I saw Tom Riddle Senior and I made the connection that he was his father. In his younger days, Voldemort looked very much like his muggle father. Marvello showed off the Slytherin locket which Merope was wearing and an ancient ring which I know to be a Peverell family heirloom. I also have a memory from Caracutus Burke where he is shown buying the locket from Merope. I have another memory from an elf who was bonded to the House of Smith. She was convicted for accidentally killing her mistress Hepzibah Smith. Before her death, she was in possession of two artefacts that used to belong to the founders. They were Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. After her death, neither of these priceless artefacts could be found".

Amelia gasped, "You mean that Hepzibah was killed by someone else?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes. Tom Riddle had been an extraordinary student at Hogwarts and was selected as the Slytherin Prefect and obtained 12 OWLs in his fifth year at Hogwarts. He went on to be Head Boy in his seventh year and later went on to work for Borgins and Burke. He was a daily visitor of Hepzibah shortly before she was murdered. I believe that Tom murdered her and took both artefacts".

Arcturus was connecting the dots. He waited for Dumbledore to finish before he presented his story.

Dumbledore continued, "Lastly, I have two more memories. One from Morffin where young Tom Riddle was seen visiting him perhaps in his quest to find his ancestry. Shortly after his visit, all the Riddles were found dead in their house. Morffin was carted off to Azkaban to serve a life sentence for the murders. I visited him there and performed Legilimency on him. I found that his memory had been altered and he had not murdered the muggle family. When I unearthed the real memory I found that Tom had visited his uncle. It is very likely that he killed his father and Grand Parents. He framed his uncle by doing the murders with his uncle's wand. Then he left after altering his memories".

The cries of shock and repulsion were not unexpected for Albus. Sirius was shouting, "I would have killed such a demon child when he was little. He is a monster".

Dumbledore pacified all of them, "Let me finish all I want to say. I have another memory from Horace Slughorn, former Potions teacher at Hogwarts. In that memory, Tom is seen wearing the Peverell ring. He asked a question from Slughorn which confirmed my fears".

Arcturus did not want to ask the question which he knew someone else would ask but chose to do so anyway, "What did he want to know?"

Dumbledore grimaced, "He wanted to know about Horcruxes".

Sirius gasped while Amelia asked dumbly, "What is a Horcrux?"

It was Arcturus who answered, "A Horcrux is the vilest form of soul magic where one keeps a piece of his soul in a container safely tucked away from the world so that he cannot die. It was invented by Herpo the foul in Ancient Greece and it is one of the vilest things that one can do".

Augusta asked him in morbid fascination, "How do you break your soul into pieces?"

Albus answered, "By committing the most heinous of crimes, murder. Murdering someone without remorse in cold blood is the only way to break one's own soul into pieces".

Amelia asked him, "If Voldemort has created a Horcrux, then how will he die?"

Arcturus answered, "There are two ways to destroy a horcrux that I know. One is with Basilisk Venom. The other is by Fiendfyre".

Albus eyed him suspiciously, "You seem to be quite knowledgeable about Horcruxes, Lord Black".

Arcturus barked, "Did you forget Dumbledore that I am a Black? One of the darkest families in Wizarding Britain. There are magics more dark than this contained in the books of my library however I never tried to go near these books until it was imperative for me to do so".

Albus asked him suspiciously, while fingering his wand in his cloak, "What made you look for them then?"

Arcturus emptied the contents of the box on the table, "Because unlike you I have destroyed three of his horcruxes".

This revelation felt like a bomb dropped on the people gathered in the meeting room. Albus was first to find his voice, "Three? That was the only thing I could not find out, the number of his Horcruxes. Are there more?"

Arcturus growled, "There are at least 3 more of the fowl things. I don't know if he managed to make another one after he was reduced to a wraith. If he did, there may be as many as 4 of them out there leaving the wraith form".

They were stunned. They sat in silence for many minutes before Albus found his voice again, "I think we need a plan of action to follow now".


	10. Chapter 10

**Hogwarts**

Harry was getting a good idea why his team mates called Oliver Wood a maniac. When the entire school wanted to hide in the castle away from the rain, Oliver booked team practices. For two nights out of every week, the Gryffindor team went out in torrential rainfall to practice. When Harry groaned about it, the twins told him to shut it, saying that if Oliver heard him, he would make them work double. As it was, he had already made their life hell two nights a week for the last two months.

The first match of the season was coming up and Harry was getting excited for it. As was tradition, the first match of the season would be Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. Harry was in a bind as to who he would choose to support between them. Meanwhile, Slytherin was not going to get his support but he was not heartless enough to taunt them. He decided that he would be neutral to them unless they tried to turn boos and jeers towards him when he was playing against them. If they did, there would be no stopping then. Besides as it was tradition, Gryffindor versus Slytherin was always the most charged up match of the season. The adrenaline was always high, the excitement beyond comprehension.

Before his first match was Halloween. Sirius had asked him if he wanted to visit Godric's Hollow. Harry had to regretfully refuse because there would be classes during the day. He did not want to show off as if he was being given some preferential treatment by being allowed to leave classes when others were attending them.

As it was, he was already putting on a power show almost on a daily basis in the Great Hall. Whenever he came downstairs, half the Gryffindor house was behind him. Many of the claws joined them on the Fifth floor where the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower was situated. It had become such a common sight now that it no longer caused any excitement among the students. Many of the teachers still smirked at the sight, except Severus Snape who seemed to have a sneer as his default expression.

They met Daphne several times. They told Neville about what they had discovered with the Cerberus in addition to what Lord Black was doing to the wizarding world.

In the two weeks since she assumed office, Amelia was after Fudge and his cohorts. They could not send Fudge to Azkaban for financial crimes, but they sure could fine him. They could collect the amount by seizing his assets. With the amount that the ministry was looking at, it was clear that Fudge would not have a knut left after the Ministry was done with him.

There had also been a revolting bit of news published in The Daily Prophet sometime during the last week. It had been another nail in the coffin for Fudge.

_**"Ministry Witch found in possession of Class- B Non tradeables**_

_In a raid conducted by the Aurors in the office of the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, Dolores Jane Umbridge, she was found in possession of Class- B non-tradeable artefacts in the form of a handful of blood quills. She was arrested promptly. The quills were sent to the unspeakables to be examined. They have concluded that at least 10 wizards had been forced to use them. _

_Here I would like to remind our readers that a Blood Quill is classified as a dark object. It is banned for use by ordinary witches and wizards. Its only legitimate use is for the Goblins at Gringotts. Anyone found in possession of a blood quill can be sent to Azkaban for a year in the minimum security wing. The punishment of incarceration in Azkaban is one year for a single use of it i.e. if a person forces another to use a blood quill, they would be liable for incarceration to Azkaban for at least a year. We can safely assume that Madam Umbridge is looking at a number of years in Azkaban under the care of the Dementors._

_She will be presented before the Wizengamot in a week's time when a few other matters have been scheduled to be heard..."_

**You like the whip?**

It had been a week since Filch had manhandled Ernie. Harry felt that it was time that they avenged the insults done to him.

Ernie had heard Filch complaining that he was not allowed to use whips. They were planning to use exactly that. True it sounded cruel but if Filch could dream of using it on students, the students could definitely use it on him. There were a few problems with this line of thought however. It was a given that it would require magic to be cast. Magic required wands. Wands would leave a trail to follow which would be easy for Dumbledore to do. They needed a way to cover their tracks. They had learned that lesson last time when Dumbledore had caught them in the prank. They were not going to make the same mistake twice.

Reluctantly, Harry had asked a marauder for help. He asked Sirius about how they could conceal their magical signature.

Sirius said, "In a day or two, I will have a contraption ready for you that will conceal your magical signatures. You also need to learn 'deleterius' which could erase a wand's memory of the recent spells cast. so, if someone had it in their minds to check your wand through priori incantatem, they would get nothing".

Harry and Neville were looking for ways to learn 'Deleterius' while Padfoot had sent them silver rings which looked like nothing more than silver bands. With one tap of a wand, they would activate and conceal their magical signatures. Harry had requested that Sirius not let Moony know about those rings or the werewolf would surely interfere.

For the deletrius spell, they tried to manipulate Professor Flitwick. Harry had asked him what the deleterius charm did. When the tiny professor wanted to know why he was asking, Harry had given a made up story saying that he had heard about the term from some senior year and was curious about it.

Flitwick, adopting the air of a Professor, had started to explain the term to them, "Deleterius is a charm often used by Aurors and Officials of the ministry. It is used to erase a wand's memory i.e. to erase the list of spells which it has cast recently. A few more sophisticated wizards like Dumbledore can get it undone but that is a complex magic. Generally it is not taught to anyone except law-enforcement authorities. If you are interested in the incantation and the wand-movement, I am sorry but I am not the wizard you want to ask that question".

Harry and Neville had been disappointed when Flitwick refused to teach the charm to them and decided that they would have to learn it by themselves. That night, they conducted a raid in the restricted section of the library. Thanks to their recon a few nights ago, they knew where the charms shelves in the restricted section of the library were. They found the required book with little trouble. The only troubling bit for them was to ensure that it was not laced with any alert charms or anything else, to alert others that someone unauthorized was touching those books. It turned out that there was no such safeguard for that book.

After a two hour careful study of it in an unused room under the invisibility cloak, they found the charm and learned the wand movement. Neville, the always smart guy had written down everything about the charm before they returned the book to its shelf.

It took them only an hour before they were able to perform the charm. It was pretty simple. Anyone could learn it so it was clear that the only way to keep it away from others was to keep its knowledge secluded somewhere that one would not wander to.

The next thing on their to-do list was a custom job of getting a whip charmed to act with a spell. For this, they remembered that Sirius had told them that Ambrosius Flume would help them should they need it. With a quick trip to Honeydukes, Mr. Flume sent them to Zonko's who could do the custom job that they wanted.

When they had made all the preparations, they entered Filch's office by stealth. They stood under the Invisibility Cloak waiting patiently for the caretaker. The moment he opened the door, the whip was activated followed by a silencing charm from Neville. For a whole minute, Filch kept hopping from place to place trying to escape the whip. Even then, he had got 10 lashes irrespective of the fact that they would not leave lasting marks on his back.

The caretaker's limping and grimacing the next day was enough to convince Ernie that they had avenged him. It was distasteful but the caretaker would have done the same or worse to a student if he was given the chance. Perhaps with that lashing, he would remember the lesson before he thought about doing the same to a student again.

Next up was taking care of the Slytherins who had attacked the caretaker with the dung-bombs in the first place. Harry had a good idea of who they were. A quick consult with Daphne confirmed it. They could not resist bragging about how they got Ernie into trouble when they got back to their common room. Of course, the dung-bombs and framing Ernie were not the only reasons for getting at the Slytherins. There was also the upcoming Quidditch match. According to the twins, it was a tradition, if not a moral imperative, to intimidate, prank and disable as many quidditch players as they could before the match. The Snakes certainly would.

But before the match could happen, was Halloween.

**Duelling Classes**

Duelling classes were getting interesting. They had learned the Knockback jinx and the Smokescreen spell in the previous weeks when they were supposed to be practicing spells out of the book which Flitwick had given them.

The spells were simple yet effective. They would be highly useful in a duel. True to their word, they had not told anyone that they were being coached in duelling by Professor Flitwick. Not even Daphne knew about it. They had done it intentionally because Flitwick had told them if a third person found out about it, he would cease training them.

Since they had started training, they had noticed the difference between themselves and others. They were still miles behind the Charms Professor yet they were getting better than their classmates. Their wand-work was getting better. The spells that they had learned, they could cast them very effectively. In fact, they were better than many second year students already. They would only continue to improve with time and practice.

Flitwick only duelled with them occasionally. For most of their practice, he put them with dummies. The dummies were perfect for practice. That way, the Charms Professor could make corrections if he observed that they were doing anything wrong.

When he duelled with them, he was always able to defeat both of them. They were getting better at dodging but they were still nowhere near the level they needed to be to defeat him. That would be a long road. It would take a lot of training and talent.

Flitwick himself was thinking of new things to include in their training now that they were near perfecting all the spells contained in the book he had loaned to them. His reputation in the ring had been because he could combine charms and transfigurations in the duel. His flexibility and ingenuity had always surprised his opponents. He had never taught duelling to students, certainly not to first year students. But he knew that they knew enough transfiguration to use it effectively in a duel.

**Puff versus Claw**

It was Saturday October 26. The day dawned crisp and clear. This was the day of the first Quidditch match of the season. Harry was excited because this would be the first time he saw the game played at school. This was his chance to see what the players of two of the other teams were like and see how they stacked up against the professional teams he had seen over the past few years.

Even though the houses of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were generally on good terms, there was some banter in the great hall at breakfast. Slytherin had dominated the house Quidditch tournament last year so nobody really gave Gryffindor much of a chance in their upcoming match against them. The snakes, thinking themselves to be the dominant ones, didn't bother to go to extra lengths to harass the lions before the match. Sure there was some rivalry between them but it was nearly non-existent this year. May be if Gryffindor succeeded in crushing them thoroughly, there would be some excitement the next year.

On the morning of the match, everyone was sitting at their own tables because it was an unspoken rule that students chose to sit at their house tables on the day of the match.

Harry was sitting with the Quidditch team. Oliver was assessing the players on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, marking those he thought could be a threat to Gryffindor in the next term when they played against them.

Harry did not know the players on the other teams but Oliver was giving a running commentary to him so that he would get to know each of them by their names. They started with Hufflepuff since they were sitting adjacent to the Gryffindors.

The team captain was a seventh year, Tamsin Appleby. He was one of the chasers. According to Wood, he was a fine player who could fake out even the most determined of keepers. The other two chasers were Cadwallader and Linda Chaddesley. They were 3rd and 4th year students who were fine in the field. Their beaters were 3rd year Luke Cholderton and 7th year Gwendoline Jones (rumored to be scouted by the Holyhead Harpies). Despite their small size, they could hit the Bludger very hard and true. Their keeper, James Tintwistle, was another fifth year who had retained the position for the last 2 years. Their Seeker was Cedric Diggory who was held in high esteem by them. Even Oliver admitted that he was perhaps the best seeker at the school at the moment.

The Ravenclaws likewise had talent scattered throughout the team. The only players Harry identified were Roger Davies and Cho Chang. Roger was a chaser in his 3rd year. Cho was their seeker. She was a very pretty Asian girl in her second year at Hogwarts and had made the team just this year. Harry had sometimes seen her with Cedric Diggory out in the grounds. Wood introduced the players to him one by one. Their captain was the keeper, a 7th year student named Andre Egwu. He played as a reserved player until the last year. The beaters were 6th year Robert Hillard and Eliza Taylor, a 7th year. The other two chasers were 4th year student Marcus Green and a 6th year Lucas Wildsmith.

As they were watching the other teams, Harry asked Oliver, "Who do you think will win the match?"

Oliver gave his professional opinion, "I do not know Harry. I think that it will be a close match. Both teams have some new additions this year. It will be quite interesting to see how it will play out. I assume that the team which has the best seeker will win because most of the time, the game is tilted by the seeker".

Harry shrugged, "Then Hufflepuff has as good as won the match already".

Angelina asked him, "What makes you think so?"

Harry leaned in close. He said conspiratorially, "I do not know if you all know it or not but I have seen the Ravenclaw seeker making googly eyes at Cedric Diggory".

There were looks of disbelief and surprise followed by smirks and giggles.

The twins, ever the entrepreneurs, turned to their house-mates, "If you are speaking the truth, we may as well make a pretty galleon out of it. How many of you are willing to bet on Ravenclaw, that Cho Chang will take the Snitch from Cedric Diggory?"

No one was a taker for their bet but they were not disheartened. They went to find other takers for the bet. By the end of the day, they were sure to have parted some of the students from their galleons. When they were all moving out to the grounds to see the match, Ernie came up to him, "Harry, who are you supporting?"

Harry could have said Hufflepuff but Lisa and Michael chose that moment to ask the same question. Harry was in a fix as to who to support. At last, choosing wisely he decided to support no one telling them that he had friends on both sides. That he would rejoice every time a goal was scored and he would groan in disappointment for whoever lost the match.

There had been no rain for the last two days so the weather was clear, the ground was hard. It was a perfect day for a Quidditch match. The twins' friend, Lee Jordon, provided commentary for the match.

"Welcome to the first match of the season. As is customary, this is the match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. There are some new faces on both teams as some of our Quidditch players graduated last year and there were some changes because new talent made a great showing at try-outs.

Here come the Ravenclaws: Agwu, Robert Hillard, Eliza Taylor, Marcus Green, Lucas Wildsmith, Roger Davies and Cho Chang".

After a few moments, he announced the arrival of the badgers, "Here comes the Hufflepuffs flying in a straight line towards the Quidditch pitch. Appleby, Cadwallader, Chaddesley, Cholderton, Jones, Tintwistle and Diggory". He took a moment before he started speaking again, "I can see Madam Hooch coming to the field with the crate".

Madam Hooch flew to the center of the field lugging the crate. She barked instructions at the teams, "I want a clean game with no cheating". She beckoned the captains forward, "Captains shake hands". After a warm handshake she kicked open the crate. The balls flew upwards while the teams took off and flew to their positions. When the keepers reached their goal posts, she gave a mighty blast on her whistle and hurled the Quaffle into the air.

Lee launched into the commentary, "And they are off! The teams are really fighting it out there for possession of the Quaffle. Appleby comes up with it. Some brilliant flying there. He's dodging everything they can throw at him. The Ravenclaws are finding it difficult to stop him. He dodges a Bludger, two chasers. He feints to the right hoop. Egwu fell for it. It's a goal! 10-0 for Hufflepuff".

Harry was watching the game being played and was thoroughly excited. For him, the bright red ball was nothing but a distraction. What he was watching was the Seekers, Cedric and Cho. He wanted to see how they performed. It was imperative for him to see their performances so that he could know what he was pitted against. So far both of them were flying around keeping an eye out for the golden ball. He returned to the commentary.

"Green is charging down the pitch with the Quaffle, dodges a Bludger. Ouch! Chaddesley collides with him. That's a foul. Yes, there's Madam Hooch. That's the whistle. Penalty to Ravenclaw for Blatching. Chaddesley takes it. He is going for the middle hoop. No, he feinted... went for the right! That's a goal. It's all tied up at ten all".

Harry noticed Cedric flying to one side with Cho in hot pursuit. Harry tried to see if Cedric had spotted the snitch but it was not there. Cedric was feinting for Cho. Just then a Bludger came out of nowhere whacking him in the ribs. It made him wince. Harry felt scared that Cedric would fall off his broom but the Hufflepuff managed to hang on to his broom.

"Diggory takes a Bludger to the ribs from Jones. He didn't see that one coming, folks. He is wincing but He seems to be OK! Cadwallader has the Quaffle. The chasers are in the hawkshead attacking formation. They are passing the Quaffle between them! Agwu has a hard time trying to keep his eye on the Quaffle! It's Appleby, Chaddesly, Cadwallader. Again to Appleby who has thrown the quaffle through the hoops. Agwu comes out of nowhere to make the save! There's some confusion. Madam Hooch has blown her whistle. The captains are discussing it with her. That's a penalty to Hufflepuff for Flacking. Appleby takes it. With a powerful throw, the Quaffle is clean through the hoops. that is 20-10 for Hufflepuff!".

Harry wanted to ask Oliver's opinion on the game but he was so immersed in it that he did not hear Harry calling him 5 times. Harry turned back to watch the game.

In the next 20 minutes, the game went evenly between both teams. The score was 60 to 50 when Cedric started climbing sharply. Cho was behind him but she was slow in spotting the snitch. Cedric was about to close his hands around the snitch when it started to descend. Doing a barrel roll, Cedric closed his fingers around the ball. The stadium exploded in cheers for the Hufflepuffs. Hufflepuff had won 210 to 50.

**Horror Halloween**

The day of Halloween started gloomily for him. Every year it was a day when he was sad. Nothing could cheer him up. He had spent those years in Black Castle away from Wizarding Britain. To mourn James and Lily Potter, Samhain (the wizarding equivalent of Halloween) was not celebrated with all the pomp and grandeur for which the House of Black had been famous in the previous years.

Harry knew the traditions and celebrations associated with it though. Cassiopeia had ensured that he knew of his traditions. As it was, he and Neville had made some preparations for celebrating Samhain in their own private celebration before the feast. Harry had no intention of attending the feast but he could not risk being missed by taking his meal in the kitchens. He would be singled out by Dumbledore who would find him. As it was, he never wanted to talk about it to anyone except his friends.

When he got up in the morning, he was not in a mood to reply to anyone's questions or to make small talk. He got ready as soon as he could manage while Neville waited for him. When they were ready, they came down before any others could join him. He did not even smile for a moment. It looked like someone had taken away his energy to smile or to work.

They sat at the Gryffindor Table for breakfast when it was their turn to sit at the Ravenclaw table. all of his friends were sitting there waiting for the duo. When Harry made no move to go over to the Ravenclaw table, Isobel McDougall came over to their table.

She slipped into the chair beside him. She said jovially, "Good Morning Harry".

He off-handedly replied, "Good Morning Isobel".

It was such a cold reply that she was puzzled. She asked Neville, "Did someone whack him on the head that he is so downcast?"

Neville quietly replied, "Today is Halloween".

She began to ask but stopped herself when she realized what he meant. Instead she said sympathetically to him, "I am sorry, Harry. I should have realized. Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, 'No, I will be fine Isobel. Thanks for asking though".

They had Herbology with the Puffs first thing that day followed by Transfiguration with the Claws, lastly Charms with the puffs. When the owl post came in, Hedwig brought him a letter from Sirius.

"Pup, I know you are not leaving the castle today but I thought that maybe you could come to the edge of the Forbidden Forest before the feast is to start? I and Moony have arranged for Samhain celebrations. You can bring all the friends who were with you that day. I will await you eagerly".

Harry showed it to Neville, "Sirius wants to meet".

Neville shrugged, "It is your choice. I am following whatever you decide, mate".

Harry scribbled a letter to Sirius then sent Hedwig away. He had a suspicion that Sirius was already in Hogsmeade and he would get the letter in time. As it was, the marauder spent most of his days in the village whenever he was free. Lord Black also never worked on this day. He spent the day mourning everyone he had lost. The old wizard had buried too many of his family to be cheerful on this day.

Classes were as normal as usual but Harry's heart was not in it. The first period was Herbology where Professor Sprout was teaching them about Dittany.

They all gathered around the plant which had a dark green stem with leaves of the same colour. She started teaching them about it, "This is Dittany alternatively known as Burning Bush, a non-sentient plant. Its distinct characteristic is that it sometimes releases inflammable vapours. It is used in healing, potion making and as wand-cores. It is a powerful healing herb. It can sometimes be eaten raw to cure shallow wounds. It is a healing herb, a restorative.

When mixed with silver, it can be used to cure werewolf bites by preventing the victim from bleeding to death but cannot cure them of lycanthropy. Now I want you all to form groups and study the plant. Your assignment is 2 feet of parchment on Dittany and its uses for next week".

**Transfiguration**

McGonagall had set them a test. This time, Isobel took the seat beside him. Professor McGonagall wanted them to write an essay on changing matchstick to needle and do the practical portion. It was a cakewalk really. As they were each done with it, McGonagall sent them out of the classroom. Harry had done with his part. He was sitting outside the class on a window, looking out of it, when Isobel joined him.

She did not say anything for a few minutes but quietly watched him before asking him, "Care to join me in the library?"

Harry had nothing else planned until the celebration in the evening so he shrugged, "Sure".

They walked towards the library. Isobel asked him, "How many members are in your family?"

Harry looked at her sceptically, to see if she was making fun of him but she was serious (no pun). He replayed her words again in his mind, then understood what she was asking, "I have a grand-father, a god-father, an uncle, a grand-mother, a brother, and a little sister".

She asked in surprise, "How?"

For the first time that day, Harry gave a reluctant smile, "Sorry Isobel but I do not give away secrets that easily. If you really want to know, you will have to work for it".

She grinned broadly, "I love challenges".

He asked her, "How many members are in your family?"

She started telling him enthusiastically, "I belong to the McDougal clan in Scotland. My grand-father is one of the Elders of the Wizengamot. He sired four children, three sons and 1 daughter. My father Alexander McDougal is the eldest of them. He owns a business in one of the alleys adjacent to Diagon Alley. My uncle Lucas owns a bakery in Godric's Hollow. Uncle Harris breeds Crups here in Scotland. My Aunt Isla is married to Lord Fawley. My father has three children- me, my brothers Lewis and Mason. Uncle Lucas has a son Alfie. Uncle Harris has a son Brodie. Aunt Isla has two children, Liam and Annis".

"It must have been great to grow up in such a big family", Harry said, "I can't even imagine how big your family tree would be".

She snorted, "Big? It is actually small when you compare it to others like the Weasleys. They always had at least 4 children in every generation except for the patriarch now who lost 4 of his siblings when he was young or this place would have been over-run by them".

Harry thought for a moment, "I guess you are correct in your opinion. Even the House of Black had many branches before the first war. Now it stands on the brink of extinction along with House Potter and Longbottom".

"Say Harry, It's okay if you really don't feel like doing anything, but would you like to celebrate Samhain this evening with me?", she asked shyly.

Harry felt bad to refuse, "Sorry Isobel but my god-father is coming over for celebrations today. I will be joining him. I would be delighted if you could join us for those celebrations".

She nodded, "I will be there, Harry".

The bell rang at that moment. They parted ways to go to their next classes. Harry kept watching her go. She seemed to be just another ordinary witch. He did not know why he had invited her to the celebrations. Perhaps it was because she actually showed interest in getting to know him, sharing in his grief that made him amenable towards her.

**Bitter spat**

Flitwick was teaching them the levitation charm that day. He had told them to form pairs for practice. Since everyone could pair up as they wished, Harry chose Ernie to sit with. Neville sat with Hannah Abbott.

The Professor came into the class. After taking his seat, he banished feathers to each student. He started speaking in his squeaky voice, "We have finished the unlocking charm in the last class. I am reasonably sure that you all can do it if needed. Today we will start the levitation charm. The wand movement is a swish and flick. the incantation is, "WinGardium LeviOsa.". Remember to pronounce the incantation correctly or you may end up with a buffalo on your chest like poor Baruffio who said's' instead of 'f'. He found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest".

He made them pronounce the incantation properly before he let them practiced the wand movement. After he was satisfied, he allowed them to practice the spell.

Harry had no trouble with it. Neither did Neville. Hermione, as usual, was the fastest to do it after them. They were too fast for her liking. What she did not know was that they had already learned a great deal before coming to school.

Susan who was sitting with Justin was close to accomplishing the charm before Hermione succeeded. She usually did her best just after Harry and Neville. Others were similarly in different stages of accomplishing their tasks.

Seamus who was sitting with Dean had set his quill on fire. Flitwick doused it with aguamenti. He set Seamus to do lines for exploding the quill when he was supposed to be levitating it. It was a normal class until Harry heard Hermione trying to teach Ron.

"You are doing it wrong. You will take someone's eye out that way. The pronunciation is Wingardium LeviOsa, not LeviosAaa", Hermione was saying.

"If you think you are so smart, why don't you show me how it's done?", Ronald challenged her. Hermione did it. The smirk that was on her lips did not bode well to Harry. Harry had noticed things like this happening all the time but paid no heed to it. Those two were fighting most of the time. Today, he was not in a mood to listen to them bickering.

As they were leaving the classroom, Ron came over to them, "She is such an insufferable know-it-all. I really don't know how anyone puts up with her condescending attitude. It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends".

Harry could see that Hermione was right behind Ron. When she heard him bad-mouthing her, she shoved him out of the way and charged off to the Tower.

Harry regretfully observed, "I think she heard you, Ron. I would agree that sometimes she is condescending in her behaviour toward others but shooting your mouth off like that is going to get you into a lot of trouble. I will thank you to refrain from running other people down in my hearing".

**Samhain**

Neville let their friends know where and when to join them for the celebration. They did not have to be told twice. Sirius had made the necessary preparations for the celebration. When they reached, he had a roaring fire going with stones lying in piles and blankets spread on the ground for them to sit on. The only thing lacking was that there were no decorations. They were just inside the border of the Forbidden Forest within cover of the trees so no one could see them.

To Harry's amazement, he noticed Dumbledore was there with them, sipping pumpkin juice. He was laughing at something Remus had just said. Even Hagrid was invited. He was there sitting with a tankard in his lap, talking to a wizard Harry did not recognize. Sirius hugged Harry tightly when he saw him, and then greeted his other friends. Sirius then went on to introduce the other wizard Harry had not recognized as Abeforth Dumbledore. He was brother of the Headmaster. The only family resemblance Harry noticed was that they shared the same brilliant blue eyes. Remus gave Harry a wide smile which was always sufficient to tell him that the werewolf was fine, enjoying things as they were.

Once they all sat down, Sirius stood, "I know many of you are not acquainted with the celebration of Samhain. It is the day when the veil between the two astral planes is so thin that the dead can walk among us. This day we celebrate our dead, honour them. There are stacks of stones in front of us. I want you to pick up stones, write the names of loved ones who have passed away, one for each stone. When you are done, cast the stones into the fire. Inhale some of the smoke from the fire as you do. Finally, write your own name on a stone and cast it into the fire. When the bonfire has died, you may either pick up the stone with your name on it or leave it here. They say that the burn pattern on the stone with your name can tell how the next year will be for you, but it requires a seer to read them. I don't think we will get a seer here".

Isobel sat beside Harry. To his amazement, she had picked up only one stone. She wrote a name and dropped it in the fire. Harry wrote Charlus, Dorea, James, Lily and Cassiopeia's names on the stones and dropped them into the middle of the fire. He did not even know the name of his muggle grand-parents! After taking a whiff of the fire, he wrote his name on a stone then dropped it into the middle of the fire. He had already decided that he would not be picking up the stone. He would brave whatever came his way. When they were sitting sipping butterbeers, eating refreshments, Fairies came out of nowhere. They started dancing around the fire. Harry noticed that almost all the ghosts of the castle were there around the fire, mingling with each other. A few even stopped to have a very animated chat with the Marauders.

Isobel observed, "I saw you toss a lot of names into the fire. Too much grief?"

Harry nodded. Then he said, "I saw you drop only one".

She nodded, "Yes, my grandmother. She died of Dragonpox when I was 6. She doted on me. She always said that I was her splitting image".

He murmured, "I have not even seen anyone from my parents' family. My grand-parents all died some time before I was born. My parents died when I was fifteen months old. I grew up well loved but I do miss my parents at times".

She told him simply, "Just because someone had to die, it does not mean that they left us, Harry. They are always there in our hearts. Look inside yourself. You will find them there".

Sirius chose that moment to come over, "Godson, would you not introduce me to this charming young lady?"

Harry looked embarrassed at this breach of etiquette, "God-father, this is Isobel McDougal. Isobel, this is my god-father, Sirius Black".

Sirius performed a courtly bow to her. He asked, "Exactly what do you see in him?"

She was confused, "What do you mean?"

Sirius spoke slowly as if explaining something to a child, "I mean he is runty looking, has a scar, a bird's nest for hair. Exactly what made you want to sit beside him?"

She snorted, "Maybe that's just the kind of guy I like, Mr. Black".

"Call me Sirius please, Mr. Black sounds too heavy on my poor ears".

Remus saw that Sirius was making trouble. He came over to drag him away, "Come along Sirius. The adults are talking over there. Leave these children be".

The celebration did not go long after that because the feast was waiting for them.

Dumbledore had already disappeared sometime while they were talking. They returned to the Great Hall to sate their hunger. None of them had bothered to pick up the stone with their name on it.

**Troll in the Dungeons**

The elves had outdone themselves. The feast was so extravagant that Harry could not even have imagined that so many kinds of dishes actually existed. Everything was available to him under the roof of Black Castle but generally the fare at the table was kept fairly simple. It was never more than two or three dishes because that was all anyone ate. This however, there was no word to describe it.

The feast was well underway before he realized that Hermione was not among the gathered students. He knew that she generally sat beside Parvati but there was no sign of her there today. He hollered for Parvati, "Parvati, where is Hermione?"

Parvati looked around her to make sure that the said girl was not present. When she realized that she was indeed nowhere around them, she turned to him, "I had heard her crying in the Girls' washroom on the second floor after charms class. I have not seen her since. Ron's comment was too cruel".

Harry nodded. Ron had no filter on his mouth. He tended to say whatever was on his mind. It was a quality worthy of one sorted into the house of the brave but at times, it was actually an embarrassment. He turned to Neville, "Mate, we need to go find her. As soon as we are done here, we will go and look for her with the map".

Neville nodded. Of course he would follow Harry to the end of the world if he wanted. They were not just friends but god-brothers. Neville would never let Harry go anywhere without him.

Meanwhile, Harry was taking Ron to task, "Look what you have done, Ron. You will apologize to her for your words. It does not cost us anything to be kind to others".

Ron did not say anything. He was feeling bad for having said those words by now. His mother had not raised him and his siblings like that. If his mother knew about it, things would end up badly for him.

Before they could decide on any further course of action, the double doors opened. Quirrell came running in. He was panting and was exhausted. The sweat on his face said that there was some trouble. He fell down somewhere in the middle of the Great Hall while shouting, "Troll! Troll in the Dungeons! Thought you ought to know". Then he collapsed.

His words caused a pandemonium in the Great Hall with the students starting to run around in panic, shrieking and shouting.

Dumbledore roared above the din they were making, "Calm down, everyone". His words had a calming effect. Immediately everyone froze in their places. Harry could see the Headmaster's eyes glowing with power.

He calmly ordered, "Prefects, take the students to your Houses. Slytherin prefects take your students up the north tower where the old dormitories are available. Teachers, follow me to the dungeons".

Percy was beckoning the Gryffindor students to him. He started herding them out of the Great Hall up the stairs.

Harry turned to the duo of Neville and Ron, "Guys, Hermione does not know about the troll. We need to go find her and tell her about it. We will break off from the rest of the group when we are on the second floor. Then we can go to find her". They both nodded. On the second floor, the trio who had been walking at the back of the Gryffindor students dropped back and hid around a corner.

While hiding, waiting for the other students to clear the second floor corridor, they saw Severus Snape walking up the stairs toward the third floor. Harry asked the other two, "Didn't Dumbledore asked the teachers to follow him to the dungeons where the troll is?"

Neville replied, "Yes, he did. But we cannot go after him now. We need to find Hermione first".

Suddenly, Harry's nose wrinkled up in disgust as he caught a whiff of a rank odor in the air like meat gone bad. He asked the other two, 'Do you two smell that?"

Ron replied, "Yes, like rotten meat. Where is it coming from?"

Just then they heard a low rumbling sound and saw a gigantic shadow on one of the walls of the castle. The Troll was not down in the dungeons. It was right there on that floor! It was enough to make them quiver in fear. They momentarily forgot that they were looking for Hermione, not the troll. They followed it. They saw it entering a washroom. The key was in the door!

Hiding themselves in the shadows, making absolutely no sound, they slowly trudged forwards towards the door. When they realized that the troll was fully inside, Harry quickly locked the door.

He turned looking smug at having captured the troll but the horror etched on Neville's face was enough to make him go weak in the knees. "What is wrong, mate?", he nervously asked.

"Harry, you idiot! We were looking for Hermione. You just locked the troll in the girls' bathroom with her!", he bellowed.

Harry silently cursed himself. They were gormless idiots indeed. They had lost sight of their target. He got tied up in heroics! They needed a plan to follow.

Harry turned to Neville, "Mate, I am going to get Hermione out of there. I want you to go find anyone who can help us. We need help. Do anything you have to but get help in time. Cause the cannon bang on the great staircase. It will attract other's attention".

Neville asked him, "Are you sure? I can be of some help here, mate. I am more handy with a wand than Ron".

Harry shook his head, "It is his fault that she is in there in the first place. Now hurry up. We don't have much time".

Neville took off at a dead run. Harry carefully turned the key in the lock while keeping his wand ready. When he opened the door, he took in a scene of chaos and destruction.

The floor was flooded, covered with shards of shattered porcelain from the broken fixtures, bits of splintered wood strewn here and there, ragged bits of the broken stalls hanging from the walls. The smell of rotting meat was overwhelming. Worst of all, Hermione was crouched in a corner hiding beneath a stone basin which was half gone. It would not have withstood another mighty blow.

Harry shouted, "Hermione! Run! He is going to kill you!"

Hermione did not move, perhaps frozen with fear. The troll however, hearing Harry yelling, hesitated mid-swing. Harry knew that he had to act fast if he was going to save Hermione's life. He fired off three cannon blasts with his wand in rapid succession. That got the troll's attention. It turned around slowly, probing with its dull eyes, looking for the source of the noise. When it spotted Harry and Ron, it lumbered in their general direction, dragging its massive club behind it.

At first, Harry thought, "Great! It's not going to smash Hermione into pulp". Then as the troll got closer, he thought, "Uh oh! It's coming straight at us!"

Ron raised his wand and roared, "WingArdium LeviOsa!"

The troll's club was out of his hand levitating in the air in a moment. Harry thought there could be nothing better than its own club to knock it out. Perhaps Ron was of the same mind but as he dropped the club, the troll had moved. They were without anything to stop it now.

Harry tried the tripping hex, a stunner, a bludgeoner in rapid succession, but they fizzled against its magic resistant skin. His other spells were equally ineffective. All he could do was keep the troll's attention, dodge and wait for help to arrive. Ron took Hermione out from under the broken stone basin. Harry was finally cornered with the wall to his back. With nowhere to go, he had a moment of thought where he laughed at himself that his life was going to end at the hands of a dumb troll. In desperation, he stuck his wand right up the troll's snout and fired off another stunner. The effect was immediate. The troll's eyes went wide and he bellowed in rage and pain. The creature pulled back both fists to pummel Harry into paste when with a mighty roar and an even mightier sweep of his arm, Hagrid knocked the troll aside.

With the troll occupied, Harry scrambled for the door. The troll scrambled back to its feet and lunged for Hagrid. The half-giant was ready for it. As the troll charged him, Hagrid got a hold of its arm and side-stepped. The troll flipped and landed on its back. It got back to its feet again and this time, lumbered up to the half-giant, flexing its massive fingers. Harry could see that the troll seemed to have the advantage when it came to size and weight, but Hagrid definitely had the edge when it came to skill and brains. For a moment, Harry was concerned that the half-giant was going to get seriously hurt, but then he realized that Hagrid was grinning. He was having fun. Again and again, the two figures collided. Again and again, the troll wound up on its back ore eating wall.

The troll stumbled back to its feet yet again. It staggered toward Hagrid as the half-giant egged him on, "C'mon Lud. Ya've still got sumtin in ya".

When the troll got close enough, Hagrid batted its outstretched arms aside then with a left jab to the belly and a right cross to the jaw, the troll went down like a felled tree. Hagrid stood up straight, shook out his fists and said, "Don know what Lud thought 'e was up to, wandrin 'round the castle like that'. Too bad 'e's too stupid to ever tell me". Then he turned to Harry, "Ya alri' 'Arry?".

Before Harry could answer, Professor McGonagall shrieked, "What is happening here?" She stood in the doorway with Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell right behind her. Her mouth formed the thinnest of thin lines. Professor Quirrell looked like he was going to pass out. Professor Snape had his wand at the ready, his face fixed in its perpetual sneer and, Harry noticed, limping.

Harry looked at his legs out of curiosity. He observed that the lower part of his robes had been mangled. There was a wound on his leg which he hastily covered when he found Harry looking.

Professor McGonagall was shouting at them, "What are you all doing here? You were ordered to go to your dormitories. And this is a girl's bathroom!", she added as an afterthought.

Hermione said in a very feeble voice, "They were here to save me, Professor. I did not know about the troll. I was in the bathroom when it attacked. I froze in fear. If Harry and Ron had not arrived when they did, I would not be alive at this moment. Ron levitated its club away then got me out of there while Harry kept it busy. They put their lives on the line, fighting that creature until Hagrid arrived and saved the day".

McGonagall turned to Hagrid, "Thank you Hagrid. If you had not acted promptly, we might have lost these students".

Hagrid blushed a bit, "Is alri' Professor, it's me job isn't it? If you'll all excuse me, I'll be getting Lud 'ere back to the forbidden forest.". They all stood aside as Hagrid, with the war club over one shoulder and the troll over the other shoulder, carefully walked by and down the main stairs to the main doors.

She then turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter-Black, what happened here?"

Harry's mind was confused. Hermione Granger had just lied to a teacher for them. She could have told McGonagall that they had locked the door from outside but she had not. She took the blame on herself. Right now, he had to answer McGonagall's question.

He started speaking cautiously, "Professor, I heard from Parvati at the feast that Hermione was here in the bathroom. That she had been crying the whole day. Neville, Ron and I decided to find her after we had our dinner. We wanted to be sure that she had taken dinner. Before that could happen however, the troll entered the castle. We went to find her to alert her about the situation. We saw the troll entering the girl's bathroom. I asked Neville to fetch help. Ron and I kept it distracted until Hagrid came and beat him".

She pursed her mouth in a thin line for a moment before she started speaking, "You are lucky to have evaded a mountain troll for so long. That was quick thinking to send Mr. Longbottom to fetch help. Five points to each of you for your nerve and dumb luck".

She then turned to Hermione, "Why were you not at the feast Miss Granger?"

Hermione lied again, "I was homesick Professor. I was missing my parents".

McGonagall nodded, "If you are uninjured, then return to your Common Room. Dinner is being served there".

They walked to the seventh floor while discussing the events of the evening. Harry asked Neville, "Mate, how did you find Hagrid?"

Neville started telling it a bit too enthusiastically, "I was at the grand staircase just making the first shot when I saw Hagrid coming up the stairs. He asked me if I wanted to be put into detention for making such a racket. I just said 'Harry and Troll', and pointed to the girls' bathroom. He broke into a run. I swear I have never seen anyone move as fast as he did at that moment yelling something about 'saving Harry Potter'. On the way, I ran into Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall. The dungeon bat wanted to put me into detention, McGonagall asked me why I was not yet in my common room despite Dumbledore's orders. When I told them, she walked at such a brisk pace that I could hardly keep up with her".

Hermione walked ahead of them and reached the Common Room before them. Once inside, she turned to them, "Thank you, all of you, for saving me".

That day, Harry felt that a new friendship was being born among them. After all, death defying adventures have a way of bringing people together.

For some reason, Harry forgot to tell Lord Black about the troll incident. He didn't think that it was anything linked directly to Harry, yet.

**Black Townhouse**

A Hogwarts owl arrived at the Black Townhouse the evening before the Gryffindor Slytherin match. It was for Sirius. He opened the letter.

_"Dear Mr. Black,_

_You are cordially invited to attend the Quidditch match of Slytherin versus Gryffindor. It is to take place tomorrow. It is my fondest wish that you will take some time out of your schedule for this occasion. _

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"_

Sirius showed the letter to Remus, "What do you make of it, Moony?"

Of course, Remus knew what it was all about. But it was crucial that Sirius did not know about it before he saw it for himself. He said to him in a neutral voice, "Perhaps Dumbledore is trying to get into your good books, Padfoot. Why don't you go and see what it is about?"

Sirius nodded, "Alright, I'll bite. And, you are coming with me".

**Gryffindor versus Slytherin**

The day for the match arrived. It was hard to believe that the same boy that had faced a full-grown mountain troll just two days ago could be so nervous about a game. Facing life and death was one thing, but the honour and glory of Gryffindor was at stake here and that was quite another thing. Harry's dormitory was on the top floor of the Gryffindor tower. From there, he had a pretty good view of the pitch. He had spent a few evenings, watching the pitch, through his omnioculars, watching the other teams practice. They knew what they were about. The Slytherin team tended more to size than talent. But they had dominated the competition last year and they were the team to beat. Watching them practice, Harry knew that they would play a very physical game. That did not bode well for the youngest and smallest player in a hundred years.

Harry woke up that morning to a bright, clear and cool November day. The adrenalin immediately started coursing through his body. It was a blend of nerves, excitement and anticipation. His team was good. Harry knew they were good. He had been with them during practice. Wood was a slave-driver and he knew what he was about. He had been selected as team captain in his fourth year, which was young for a team captain. That was because he had the talent, the drive and the leadership. In his second year as team captain, now he also had the experience. The beaters, Fred and George, even though they were only third years, were large for their age and practically telepathic the way they made their plays. The chasers were all girls and they had drilled passing, shooting and dodging until they could do it with their eyes closed. The only potential weak link in this team was Harry himself. Harry was determined not to let them down.

When he entered the common room, Wood saw how pale and shaky he looked. He said, "This will be your first game, Harry. I know that you're feeling it, but I'm telling you, you have nothing to worry about. We're all behind you. You have real talent. When you catch that Snitch, the Snakes won't even know what happened".

The twins gave him a pat on the back. The chasers all messed up his hair and made a fuss over him.

When he exited the Common Room the team surrounded him. They were followed by the first years, then each year in their turn. They marched to the Great Hall. Along the way, many of the Ravenclaws joined them.

When he sat for breakfast, Hermione was on one side of him with Neville on the other and Ron sitting across from him. He was playing with the food on his plate. He had no stomach to eat. Neville tried to get him to eat, but he refused.

Finally, Neville convinced him to at least drink some pumpkin juice. He said, "Mate, if you pass out from lack of food during the game, we don't have a back-up seeker".

Harry reluctantly sipped at the pumpkin juice. As soon as the cool sweetness hit his dry mouth, his appetite picked up a bit. He was able to choke down some hot cereal and another glass of pumpkin juice before he gave up breakfast as a bad job.

The team rose from the table to go out to the pitch. That was when many well-wishers came over from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. They paid a lot of attention to Harry, saying things like congratulations on making the team as a first year to he was their best hope to defeat the Snakes this year. No pressure there. Even Daphne gave him a warm smile and a high-sign when she thought that none of her house-mates were looking.

Isobel decided to come over and join him while they walked to the lockers. She looked at him and realized he was nervous, "Are you nervous, Harry?"

He nodded, "This is my first game. I do not want to let the team down. They have all worked really hard and we all want this win".

She assured him, "Harry, you sound like you're carrying the weight of the entire team on your shoulders. That just is not the case. You have one thing and one thing only to worry about. Find that little golden ball and capture it. This is your first game. Even if you do make any mistakes, you will learn from them and come back even better in your next one. Just be yourself. I am sure you will have people's heads turning with your skills".

Since they had reached the lockers, she went to sit with her house mates while Harry went in with the team.

Inside, they quickly changed into their quidditch robes. Since wands were not allowed in the game, Harry had left his wand in the care of Neville before he came into the locker room. Oliver started giving them the pre-match speech, "This is the chance we have been waiting for. This is going to be our year. The year that we will win finally. We have the team that is hard to beat. we will crush our foes".

He rambled on for some time. Every word made Harry more nervous. He was probably banking on Harry's talents a lot. The jitters just got worse. Fred however patted his shoulder, "Worry not, Harry. Oliver always gives the same speech. In fact, we have learned every word of it".

Finally it was time for them to fly out to the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione, Ron and Neville took a place in the stands with Dean and Seamus behind them. Dean had a banner which read "Potter-Black for Minister of Magic". Shortly before the game started, Hagrid came up to the stands. He made a place for himself beside the little group rumbling, "Hello yeh three! I thought I would come and watch from here. Can't see anything properly from me hut".

Lee was on the mike. "Welcome to the second match of the season. The most anticipated. On one hand are the Gryffindors- the brave of heart, the men with courage. On the other are Slytherins- the cunning, the ambitious. Most believe that this match will be a one-sided pounding on Gryffindor. But this announcer has it on good authority that Slytherin is in for a rude awakening. May the Gryffindors I mean, may the best team win".

A few seconds later, he announced the arrival of the Slytherins, "Here come the Slytherins: Flint, Warrington, Pucey, Urquhart, Bole, Bletchley and Higgs. The same old team last year which defeated Gryffindor by sheer luck".

His statement was greeted by jeers from the Slytherins. Unsurprisingly, the snakes got support from no other quarters of the school. The other three houses were pitted against them.

Lee continued, "Now here comes the Gryffindors flying in a hawkshead formation with three each in two rows with the youngest seeker in a century bringing up the rear. I give to you all the Gryffindors. Johnson, Bell, Spinet, Wood, Weasley, Weasley. Potter-Black".

In the spectator stands meant for teachers and visitors, Sirius Black gasped, "What? Harry! Is he their seeker? Merlin's beard! But he is a first year!"

Remus chuckled, "He is the youngest seeker in a century, Padfoot. The rules were bent to accommodate him".

While they were talking, madame Hooch flew out to center field with the crate of balls. She barked out, looking significantly at the Slytherins, "Alright. You all know the rules. I want to see a clean game". Then looking at Harry, "I wish you all good luck. Captains, shake hands".

Wood and Flint shook hands while menacing each other. The wincing on their faces was sufficient to tell Harry that they were trying to break each other's hands. Harry looked up at the sky. It had become overcast since dawn. Although it was cold, the snow had not yet begun to fall. Cold, yes, but visibility was perfect for spotting the snitch. This was going to be a short game.

Madame Hooch kicked open the crate. The two Bludgers and the Snitch took to the sky as the teams took up their positions. As soon as the keepers reached the goal posts, she gave a mighty blast on her whistle and hurled the Quaffle into the air.

Harry had kicked off hard to gain altitude. As soon as he took to the sky, all feelings of nervousness left him. He felt more alert and clear-headed than he had for days. The game plan for him was to stay high and out of the way of the Bludgers until he spotted the Snitch. Higgs was right on his tail. Not too smart, Harry thought, he was nearly half the other guys size and on a much better broom. Higgs had no chance at all of catching the Snitch by following him around. If this was the Slytherins' tactic, they had already given the game away.

Lee started the play by play, "And they are off! Angelina comes up with the Quaffle! She's leading the charge. That girl gets better every year but she still won't go out with me".

"Jordon", Professor McGonagall admonished him.

"Sorry Professor. It's Angelina with the Quaffle flying towards the Slytherin goalpost. She dodges a Bludger, a chaser. She takes her shot. And Bletchley saves it. Alicia in possession of the Quaffle. She's flying like an arrow straight towards the goal posts. A Bludger from Urquhart forces her to drop the Quaffle. Picked up by Pucey. He dodges a Weasley Bludger. He chucks the ball towards the hoop". Suddenly he bellowed, "Come on Wood! Save it!", then continued, "Yes! Wood saved it. Bell in possession of the Quaffle flying to the Slytherin goal. Pass to Angelina. She's wide open! That's a goal! 10-0 for Gryffindor".

The stadium erupted in cheers, whistles, stomping and applause. Of course, the Slytherins booed and hissed, but they were well drowned out by the rest of the crowd. Meanwhile, Harry had spotted the Snitch while leading Higgs a merry chase around the other side of the pitch. He didn't try to catch it just yet because Higgs didn't seem to have a clue and Wood hadn't signalled the play yet.

Suddenly he saw a flash of gold on the edge of his vision. He took off after it. He had spotted the snitch again. Higgs was still on his tail. A Bludger collided with his broom almost throwing him off. He remained on the broom by holding on to the handle. Higgs had to pull-up hard to keep from colliding with him. In the confusion, they both lost sight of the Snitch. Gryffindor was awarded a penalty shot. Angelina took the shot. She converted it into a goal. The crowd went wild again as Lee announced, "It's 20-0 for Gryffindor!".

Soon thereafter, Flint collided with Harry for which Gryffindor was awarded a penalty and Alicia took it but it was saved. The twins decided that Flint deserved some payback for nearly knocking Harry off of his broom. The next time he got possession of the Quaffle, they took the double beater stance and blasted the Bludger at him. The over-powered black ball hit him square in the chest, breaking some ribs and knocking him clean off of his broom. There was no penalty called on the play because although it was a dirty trick, there were no rules against hitting the guy in possession of the Quaffle with a Bludger. There was no time out either because they had put the captain out of commission. With the Snakes short a chaser, the Lions scored again easily.

At a score of 30-0 for Gryffindor, Harry thought it was a good time to make his move. Then everything started going wrong. His broom started vibrating, going out of control and tried to buck him off. He knew well how to fly and he held on tight, trying to bring the unruly thing back under control. There was only one reason that a Nimbus 2000 would act like this, someone was jinxing it. He had no attention to spare to look for the perpetrator. It was all he could do to stay on the broom as it vibrated, bucked and climbed higher, away from the game.

It was Fred and George that noticed he was in trouble first. They flew under Harry, ready to catch him while the rest of the team tried to play on with no Beaters.

In the confusion, Flint managed to get back on his broom and score 4 goals.

Sirius was furious with the broom acting like that. He stood up with his wand out, ready to cast 'Arresto momentum' before Moony stopped his hand, "No Padfoot, you could end up harming him. We will cast only if he is unseated from his broom".

His friends were equally worried. Hagrid was watching through his binoculars. He said worriedly, "Looks like somebody hexed his broom".

Hermione borrowed the binoculars. She looked through them to find that Snape was muttering an enchantment. She turned to Neville and Ron, "It looks like Snape is jinxing his broom".

Neville asked her, "Do you have any idea what to do?"

Before Hermione could answer, Harry regained control of the broom. What they did not notice was that when Sirius abruptly stood up, he had caused a few of the other teachers to fall down. Whatever or whoever was interfering with Harry's broom, the effect stopped. As a result, Harry was able to climb back on his broom.

With Harry out of trouble, the twins got back into the game. When they saw the scoreboard, they were furious that nobody had called a time-out. The Bludgers flew fast and furious, wrecking havoc on the larger, less nimble Slytherin players, especially Flint. There would be some Slytherins in the infirmary after this game.

It took 10 more minutes for the score to climb to 60-40 for Gryffindor. Harry spotted the golden ball again. It was flying near the Gryffindor goal. He caught Higgs napping and went blazing off toward the Gryffindor end. Urquhart blasted a Bludger at his head. Just as it looked like the Bludger would break Harry's nose, he did a barrel roll. The Bludger hit Higgs instead. He was knocked off course by the impact.

Lee announced, "Higgs takes a Bludger from his own beater! Potter-Black is in hot pursuit of the Snitch. It is going in a steep dive. Potter- Black follows it while dodging another Bludger. I can't believe it! He's going faster! The snitch is almost level with the ground. Higgs is back in it but he has some ground to make up and it looks like Potter-Black is not giving him that chance! Higgs is pulling up, folks. Looks like he's afraid of getting plowed. Potter-Black pulls up at the last second! He's standing on his broom! He has tumbled from his broom!"

Harry saw that the Snitch was so close to the ground that there was no way to catch it from his broom and stay mounted. He swung down with his mouth wide open as time seemed to slow. In the split second that he lost sight of the Snitch, he felt something scooped up by his open mouth. He tumbled across the field to land back on his feet. He spit the golden ball out into his hand and held it up for the crowd and especially for Madame Hooch to see.

Time sped back up to normal as the stadium erupted in cheers. Lee was shouting into the mic, "That's it! Harry has the Snitch! It's all over folks! Gryffindor beats Slytherin 210 to 40!"

Flint was arguing with Madam Hooch, "He did not catch the snitch. He nearly swallowed it". But she was having none of it.

The team mobbed him, thumping him on the back. Oliver kept jumping up and down in excitement yelling, "That's my boy! That's my boy!"

After the team was done expressing their joy, His friends came up to him. They group hugged him. He knew they had been worried about him. He had had a real scare once or twice in the air.

As they were leaving the pitch, Harry ran into the Marauders who were just coming down from the stands. They immediately hugged him and did not let him go for a few minutes. Finally Sirius extricated himself. He said to him, "I was so worried Pup. Are you alright?"

Harry smiled, "I am fine, Padfoot. I was scared a little though".

**A Marauder's Birthday**

It was Sirius's birthday the day after the match. Harry had no idea about what to give him as a gift. For all his life, most of his shopping had been done for him by Moony or Arcturus. He had always been a tag-along. Now he was to choose a suitable gift for an adult wizard. He had absolutely no idea about what to get.

He had asked Neville too. The other boy didn't have any ideas about a perfect gift for Sirius either. He had the same problem; he never had to buy a gift for an adult wizard before this day. Whenever it was Moony's birthday, Harry could give him a gift hamper of chocolates and be done with it. But Sirius was not so fond of chocolates.

Finally, Harry had asked Professor Dumbledore about it when the headmaster had sent for him and Neville to talk about the troll incident the next day.

When they entered, the head-master had a Pensieve on his desk. He was emptying some of his memories into it. He beckoned them into chairs, then with a motion of his hand, asked them to wait. After he had added the memory, he turned to them, "How are you Harry, Neville?"

Harry chose to answer, "We are in fine health, Headmaster, thank you. What is it you are doing with that Pensieve?"

He waved off the question, "A little of this and that. I am just trying to document something while I still have the time because I fear the next few years are going to be incredibly busy. Now, I have called you here so that you can tell me about what happened on the day of the feast. Would you tell me what happened?"

Neville recounted the version of the story that they had told McGonagall. They had decided that they would stick to that version of the story because if Hermione did not want to tell, it was not their secret to give away.

After they were done, Harry asked the headmaster, "Professor, I have heard that the wards around Hogwarts should keep creatures such as a troll away from the castle. How did one enter then?"

Dumbledore took a few moments before he started to answer their question, "The wards certainly can keep trolls out but not if someone had brought one in. I suspect that someone in the castle let it in as a practical joke".

Harry frowned, "It could have killed Hermione if we had not reached her in time. That is not a joke".

Dumbledore sighed, "That is right. It was not a joke. That is why I have called you here. Since you were the first to see it, can you make a guess as to what it was doing in the castle?"

Harry thought hard for a while. An answer eventually started to form at the back of his mind but it was not the one he was going to give Dumbledore. He gave one completely harmless answer instead, "Professor, I suspect someone brought it in to create chaos, pandemonium in the castle. I cannot see any other reason for doing so".

Dumbledore looked disappointed for a moment but hid it well, "Very well, you both can go now".

Harry decided to ask him the question which had been bothering him, "Headmaster, can you tell me what would be the ideal gift for a wizard like my god-father? His birthday is coming. I have no idea what to get for him".

Dumbledore smiled genially, "It varies from person to person but I have found that a bottle of Rosmerta's oak matured mead often makes for the best gift for me".

Harry stood, "Thank you for the suggestion, Headmaster. We will be taking your leave now".

Later that evening, the duo snuck out of the castle. They headed to The Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta was not about to sell mead to two firsties from Hogwarts till Harry convinced her that it was really meant to be a gift for Sirius. Rosmerta even gift-wrapped it nicely for them then handed it to them. Harry and Neville splitt the bill between them. Harry called his personal elf, Kreacher. He ordered the elf to decorate the Townhouse tastefully that night of 2nd November.

He had floo called Remus to discuss the birthday. Remus had reluctantly agreed that he and Neville could sneak out of the castle once everyone was asleep in their dormitories. Kreacher and Travistor could get them out of there by side-along apparition to the Townhouse. And return them the same way before they were missed.

Shortly before mid-night, the post-victory party was winding down. There were only a couple of stragglers left in the common room. Harry and Neville came out of the Common Room. As the portrait of the fat lady swung shut, she said, "First years out after Curfew? You had better not let Filch catch you".

Harry made a shushing motion with his finger to his lips, then whispered, "Don't worry. I have a cunning plan".

She yawned widely and said, "Suit yourself. I'm going back to sleep". Then putting action to words, promptly dozed off.

Harry and Neville quietly made their way to an unused classroom nearby. Travistor and Kreacher were waiting for them there. Travistor never served anyone except Arcturus. it was implied that he was only there under the old wizard's orders. Holding the doorknob with one hand while applying pressure to the middle of the door with the palm of his other hand Harry closed the door without any squeak, thump or click. He carefully twisted the doorknob until all the tension was off of the springs then took the pressure off the middle of the door until it settled into position.

Neville asked him, "Mate, where did you learn to do that?"

Harry responded, "I may have read a spy novel or two, when Remus wasn't looking".

Once they were in position, the elves disappeared with a low pop with taking the two boys with them.

The Townhouse had been beautifully decorated with streamers having been hung from the walls, the portraits decorated with ribbons and balloons, their occupants expressing their displeasure at being treated that way. There was an enormous cake in the meeting room topped with figures of a shaggy dog, a stag, a doe and a werewolf. Not surprisingly, it was a chocolate cake, which Remus perhaps had ordered more in keeping with his own taste than Sirius's. Lord Black was sitting in a chair in the meeting room looking amused at the preparations made right under Sirius's nose.

Remus took the two kids upstairs. They entered Sirius's room stealthily. When they were around his bed, Remus let loose a cannon blast from his wand.

Before he was even properly awake, Sirius rolled from his bed, wand in hand and crouched down behind his bed, looking for the source of the blast. Even after ten years in Azkaban, he had not forgotten his Auror training.

They started singing "Happy Birthday to you.", before he could curse anyone of them.

Sirius looked at Neville and Harry, "Did you two sneak out of the castle at this hour? How did you get here? Did you break into a Professor's office to use the floo?"

Harry chuckled, "No. We used our elves to apparate out of there".

Sirius grumbled, "Elves? We never even thought of doing that, despite having every opportunity to do so".

Remus guffawed, "Of course we didn't. We had enough brains among us to get what we wanted done. We never had to bring in any outside talent".

The celebration was great. They all enjoyed to their heart's content. By about four AM, Even the most hard-core among them had to admit that he had enough. Kreacher and Travistor took the boys directly to their dormitories. After a long day of Quidditch and partying, Harry thought nothing had ever looked so welcoming or inviting to him as that four-poster bed. The elves had hardly left the room before the snores were rising from the beds which had been empty only a minute ago.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Library**

"I'm sure it was him who was jinxing your broom, Harry", Hermione was saying. "I saw him chanting. He was not breaking eye contact. He must have been trying to bewitch your broom so you would fall off".

They were sitting in the library talking about the broom bucking, trying to throw him off. Hermione had told him what she had seen through the binoculars. how she had seen Snape incanting spells looking at Harry, not breaking the connection for even a second. Harry was more miffed that Sirius had taken his Nimbus 2000 away to get it checked to see that the charms imbued in it had not malfunctioned.

Ron said in indignation, "The greasy slimeball! He couldn't stomach a defeat for his snakes".

Harry looked at Neville and gave a smirk. He already knew Snape hated him for another reason altogether. A simple quidditch defeat was not the reason for it. In fact, when his broom started acting weird, he had not even spotted the snitch. What they did not understand was why Snape would act so foolishly, trying to kill him in front of the entire school. That surely would have attracted everyone's attention to him.

Sirius had been so worried about the broom bucking, trying to throw him off that he had it taken away from Harry. He was going to the Nimbus Company to get it checked for any enchantments. Harry knew it would yield no results but he could not change Sirius's mind once it was made up.

They had their theories which they were discussing but none of them had any solid reason as to why Snape would try to kill him. Harry had a few facts but it was not a lot to go on. However he was not going to discuss even that with these two. They had not yet earned his confidence enough to discuss secrets with them.

Harry noticed Daphne had arrived in the library. She went and sat at their usual spot in a distant corner. He stood up saying, "Thank you for telling me about Snape, Hermione. I will see if I can do something about it. I have to see Hagrid for something. I will see you both later".

Neville stood along with him, "I will also be taking my leave. I have to go see Professor Sprout about Dittany".

Since Harry knew Hermione would not even notice if they had gone out of the library, they turned a corner around a shelf. By walking behind shelves, they reached the table where Daphne was sitting and Harry hastily erected the wards. They took their seats at the table.

Harry and Neville knew that Daphne had shown up because she wanted to talk about what happened to Harry's broom. They decided to have some fun by sitting, quietly, looking gormless and waited for Daphne to snap.

She did not disappoint them, "Are you two idiots just going to sit there and say nothing?"

Harry pacified her, "Hold your horses, Daphne. We have a lot to talk about. We were just trying to decide where to start.".

She arched an eyebrow, "Exactly what has happened since Samhain if you do not include Isobel McDougall showing interest in you?"

Neville answered, ticking events off on his fingers, "Well let's see: we were attacked by a troll; Snape was going where he should not have been; Harry was almost thrown off his broom. Oh one more thing, we had a trip to London".

She gave them the evil glare, "So with all these adventures, you lot did not think to include me?"

Harry snorted, "Adventures? We could have been pounded into an unrecognizable paste by the troll. Falling from about 100 feet up from a bucking broom could have had a serious impact on my life expectancy. That wasn't adventure, it was scary".

She snapped, "You two always beat around the bush instead of coming to the point. Will you tell me what's going on or do I have to hex you into oblivion?"

Harry turned to Neville, "Mate, she is threatening us!"

Neville concurred, "Indeed! What shall we do now?"

That was enough for Daphne. She seemed to produce her wand out of nowhere to hex them but Harry and Neville had already disappeared under the table. A few seconds later, they both came up waving white flags, begging for mercy.

Finally when Harry and Neville were back in their seats at the table, Neville started saying, "Do you remember how Quirrell collapsed in the Great Hall during the feast? Hermione was not in the Great Hall. Parvati told us that she was in the bathroom on the second floor, crying her eyes out. We went to find her to alert her about the troll. That was when we spotted Snape heading towards the third floor. We knew that Dumbledore had asked the teachers to follow him to the dungeons.

We found the troll on the second floor. Harry and Ron started to distract it from killing Hermione Granger. Harry sent me to fetch help. Luckily, Hagrid was coming up. He was on the grand stair case when he found me. He dashed off and beat the troll to a pulp".

Harry cursed loudly, "Merlin's beard!"

Daphne asked him, "What happened? Did someone put a garden gnome in your trousers?"

Harry looked at her warily, "My elves make sure nothing like that ever happens to me, thank you very much. I just realized two things. Neville, was Hagrid carrying something with him when you found him?"

Neville frowned in concentration. Then spoke after a moment, "Yes, now that I think about it, he was carrying a burlap sack over his shoulder. He dropped it on the floor before he came to your aid".

Daphne asked him, "What is the matter, Harry?"

Harry had a theory ready, "Daphne, I do not know why I did not think about it earlier but now I think that Snape is after whatever was there below the trapdoor on the third floor".

Daphne's eyes were spread in surprise, "Why do you think so?"

Harry turned to Neville, "Mate, do you remember that we saw him limping when he came to the girl's bathroom? He had his trousers torn. Was there a gash on his leg?"

Neville nodded, "I did notice that. He is still limping from it".

Harry nodded, "Correct, so my theory is that he brought the troll in..."

Daphne cut him off mid-sentence, "Harry, he may hate you but he would not do something to put everyone in danger".

Harry shook his head, "Maybe he brought it inside to keep everyone distracted while he went for the beast, trying to find a way to subdue it? And the beast mangled him in the process? Remember how all the teachers were in the dungeons looking for the troll but he was briskly running up to the third floor? I can bet he was going there. I am also ready to bet that the dog has something to do with Hagrid".

Neville shook his head, "That is too far-fetched, mate. Hagrid is a simpleton".

Harry however continued saying, "Think about it, Neville. He is not a teacher, nor a student. His role is that of Groundskeeper. As such, he does not need to be in the castle unless he needs something. I have never seen him in the library. He was not hurt to be going to the Infirmary. Also as you said, he was carrying a burlap sack which could contain anything. Considering the beast's size, only someone like Hagrid could pet it or control it. I would bet all the galleons in my trust vault that the beast belongs to him. He was on his way to the third floor to feed it that day".

Daphne shook her head, "What you say makes sense Harry but I think you are making some broad assumptions. Who do you think is making Snape go after the thing beneath the trap door? What do you think it could be?"

Harry thought for a moment about whether to tell her about the whisper in the night or not. Finally he decided that she was their best friend. As such, she deserved to know the truth, "One night, Neville and I were prowling the corridors when I heard whispers from a room on the fifth floor. It was someone weeping, asking forgiveness from VOLDEMORT. I know that he is not dead. Perhaps he is sending Snape after the thing which is beneath the trap door. Perhaps he thinks he can benefit from whatever is beneath it".

Daphne was still not convinced but to pacify him said, "Ok. I can understand things make sense if you look at it that way. But we still do not know what is there or whether the beast actually belongs to Hagrid".

Harry smirked, "The only way to find out is by asking Hagrid".

Daphne nodded, "You will have to do it without me, Harry. I don't think he would look at me with favor because I am a Slytherin. Now what happened with your broom that day?"

Harry had a theory about that too, "Someone was jinxing my broom for it to throw me off. Hermione claimed to have seen Snape jinxing my broom. She told me that Snape was not blinking while incanting. That is what he would have to do if he were the culprit, doing the jinxing. I think that maybe Snape wanted to kill me for foiling the troll plan".

Daphne was considering everything he said, "Harry, you will need to be careful around Snape at least. If you are right about the events as you have observed, he wants you dead. Doing something like that stunt he did with your broom means that he's not being very discrete about it either. You will have to be really careful with him".

Harry nodded, "Don't worry. I can always keep an eye on his whereabouts", as he patted the pocket where he kept the Marauder's map.

**So, You Like Dungbombs**

Harry had not forgotten the Slytherins who had bombarded Filch. He was just waiting for an opportune moment to strike. He had solicited help from the Weasley Twins, Ernie, Susan, Hannah and Justin.

He would need the twins to 'borrow' the schedule of daily patrols from Percy. It was important for their plan. They needed to know who they could expect to find in what part of the castle because Harry could not be everywhere at all times with the map.

For the Gryffindors, he had met them in the Common Room. They were sitting in sofas around the fire in the common room. Harry turned to them. "We are going to plan a prank. I need your help", he flatly said, "If you think you cannot help or you want to walk away, this is your chance. If you stay and later snitch on me to McGonagall or any of the Professors then I do not need to tell you that I will have my revenge upon you".

The twins were first to offer their support, "You do not even need to ask, mate".

When Harry saw that everyone was ready to help him, he began sharing his plan, "About a week ago, Filch threatened to whip Ernie Macmillan for bombarding him with dungbombs. Ernie had nothing to do with it. I have already dealt with Filch. But now I want to go after the Slytherins who were responsible for framing Ernie". He turned to the twins, "I want you two to find the patrol schedule for the next week. I am willing to bet that the two of you can persuade Percy to be helpful if you put your minds to it".

The twins grinned, "Oh Perce will be happy to help us, even if he doesn't know it".

He had the same talk with his other friends. They all agreed to the plan. The schedule was 'found' and copied by the twins. Harry knowingly chose a night when there was no Astronomy class so that there was little chance of getting caught. They could not attack the Slytherins near their own Common Room because it was too close to the Serpent's Pit.

He stalked them for a few days to monitor their movements and their numbers. When he was certain that there were 20 of them, plan started to form in his mind.

On the chosen day, there were two Professors on Patrol duty until mid-night. Professor Quirrell was on patrol from Dungeon to 3rd floor. Professor Vector, the arithmancy witch was to patrol from 4th to 7th floor. There were 8 Prefects on duty until mid-night- Two 6th year Gryffindors, two 5th year Hufflepuffs, two 7th year Ravenclaws and the Head Boy with the Head Girl.

Harry had Neville stalk them while they were on their patrols. It turned out they were lazy on patrol duty. They would perfunctorily make one round, then return to their common rooms. They had about an hour to do their pranking and make their escape. A clear message which was given to each member of the team was that if there was any chance that a Prefect could catch you, then stun them and leave because they could not risk getting a single one of them caught.

On a recon mission with the Hufflepuffs in their group, they noted what the Slytherins did when they were breaking curfew. Of the 20, five could be found in the kitchens, five were on the Astronomy Tower, five out on the grounds near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and five of them were harassing students from other houses who were also breaking curfew. After all, they were not the only ones who could think of such things.

For the actual strike, Harry had chosen only 4 of them. It would be easy for four of them to strike swiftly and strike hard then escape unseen than it would be for a larger group of them. They all had done their bit in the prank. Now it was up to the four of them to execute it. With the help of the map, Harry had marked the best places where they could hide so they could easily strike then leave.

Since the twins practically knew every inch of the castle, they could choose their hiding place themselves. Harry and Neville decided to start with the kitchens because that is where the desserts were.

Hiding in the kitchens was very easy with the invisibility cloak. They sat at one of those big tables in the kitchen facing the door with the Fruit bowl. They patiently waited till the Slytherins came in while they munched on Treacle Tarts and Éclairs. There were only a couple of elves milling about. Harry had sent them to sleep sometime ago so there was no one who could report on them but Harry did not realize his mistake until later. If they stunned the Slytherins in the kitchen, how would Filch find them? But the answer to his predicament came to him almost instantly.

When the Slytherins were engorging themselves with food, Harry and Neville stunned them before they knew what was happening. After they were done, Harry and Neville started lobbing Dungbombs around in the kitchen. After making it sufficiently dirty, they rubbed the stunned students hands with grime then stuffed their pockets with the dungbombs before they left. When they were at a sufficient distance from the kitchen in a room with no portraits or ghosts, Harry raised his voice, "Peeves".

Peeves came floating to them about 2 minutes later, cackling, "Naughty students making trouble. Call on Peevsie, he'll make it double". He doffed his hat and sketched a bow, "Potty calls Peevsie. Peevsie helps".

Harry was amused at his words but he had work to do, "Peeves, remember those Slytherins who had stunned you?"

Peevsie nodded eagerly. Harry continued, "I found them. I have left them stunned in the kitchen with dungbombs in their pockets. Give us about ten minutes then make sure Filch finds them. Can you do that?" Peeves nodded again. Harry finished, "They will be put in detention and you will have your revenge".

As expected, the poltergeist fell for their prank. He left cackling. Harry and Neville did not waste a moment in moving on to their next task. Their work there was accomplished anyway.

The twins had their work cut out for them. Unlike the other duo, they did not wait for the Slytherins. Since they did not have an invisibility cloak, they did not have the leisure to sit and hit their targets. They had to rely on guts and luck. For those on the Astronomy Tower, they followed them from near their Common Room. When they passed through a corridor where there was little to no light, they sent stunners everywhere. They were not sure if they got everybody but the sound of falling bodies was sufficient to tell them that some of their spells had found their mark. Before the Slytherins could get themselves together and cast lumos to light their wands, 4 of them were already down. The last one could not see them either because they were out of the range of his wandlight. With a quick stunner, he was also down. They pelted the Slytherins with dungbombs to their heart's content. Then with some cannon bangs from their wands, they were gone before Filch could arrive to catch them.

For those in the Forbidden Forest, it was pretty simple. The forest was mostly dark without any lanterns which students generally took when they went into the forest. They had already seen what the Slytherins did in the forest and knew where they would be found. With some quick spells, the five were down. A cannon bang near the Hippogriff paddocks brought Hagrid running towards them. He found the five of them and hauled them back to the castle where he handed them over to Filch.

For Filch, it was like a dream come true. He had never caught so many of them in a single night before. What's more, he did it without making any effort whatsoever. Even that pesky poltergeist, Peeves had helped him for once, telling him that students had entered the kitchen. They had desecrated it with dungbombs. How dare they!

The night however was far from over. Harry and Neville were on the prowl. Wherever they found a Slytherin breaking curfew, they would stun him and leave him in the open for others to find. Sometimes they gave a cannon bang to attract Filch or one of the prefects on patrol. Since no Slytherin prefect was on patrol tonight, there was no way that they could escape detention.

There were a couple of them that Harry and Neville had to reluctantly lock in a broom cupboard. They knew that the moment the students were conscious, they would have no problem escaping, so they put Peeves there to harass them when they got free. If they were not caught, they would not have a pleasant night either.

**The next morning**

The first thing that the students noticed the next morning was that the emeralds in the Slytherin Hourglass had decreased to half of what they had been a day before. A casual look at the detention log showed that 16 students from the House had 20 points apiece deducted from them for breaking curfew and they had all been placed for two night's detention with Filch.

Harry and his friends had chosen the Gryffindor table this morning for breakfast. Lisa was saying, "I take it that this was your doing? Nobody else could have done it".

The twins protested, "It was our doing. These two were our minions".

Harry turned to Neville, "Mate, did we not have a partnership with these fine blokes?"

Neville mock-frowned, "Looks like they need reminders that none of us were playing minion last night".

Lisa raised her hands in a stop gesture, "why we were not included?"

"Lisa there was nothing that I required of you both this time. Four of us were sufficient for the execution. Our friends in the badger's hole scouted them. They told us where they could be found. That was it. Next time, I will definitely ask you both before anyone else".

Lisa grumbled, "You better, Potter-Black. The eagle's nest is a boring place with everyone after knowledge but not about how to use that knowledge for some harmless fun".

Neville however was making some calculations. He said, "Mate, it looks like four of them escaped our nets".

Harry waved him off, "Don't worry, mate. We will have time to get them later. This single night has brought their score below ours. I don't think that Snape will take kindly to his snakes damaging their reputation anymore. We would need to stop all our activities for a week or so because he would be on the prowl looking for those who did his snakes in".

Neville said to him in an undertone, "And Daphne will murder us the next time she sees us".

Harry cringed but said rather valiantly, "We will make her see reason, mate. She is not unreasonable".

**The face of the foe**

True to Neville's prediction, Daphne had threatened to hex them into oblivion for targeting the snakes. Harry and Neville had escaped by a hair's breadth by telling her that they had nothing to do with the fiasco. Since there were no witnesses other than Peeves, and he wasn't talking, she could not pin it on the two of them. She had all the grounds to suspect their complicity but there was not enough evidence. Their friends refused to discuss the topic with her because they knew what she was up to.

Their classes went at their usual pace with nothing out of the ordinary happening. They loved every moment of those classes where the teachers would show them interesting things but were terribly bored in the classes where the teachers were not worth their salt.

McGonagall was teaching them elementary transfiguration. Flitwick had moved on to the severing charm which was handy as a regular household spell. Quirrell could not speak half of the time. When he did, it was hard to make out what he was saying. Thankfully, Moony had sent him a schedule after he had made a plea to him about doing something about defense. The schedule contained a course work of spells befitting a first year. Needless to say, the schedule had come in triplicate. Neville and Daphne's copies were delivered to them with Moony's love. The schedule lined up things that a firstie was expected to know by the end of the year.

The only mistake Harry had made with the schedule was to study it in the Common Room where Hermione spotted him with it. He was looking at the list of spells, marking which ones he was done with when Hermione ambled into the seat beside him, "What are you doing, Harry?"

He did not stop to consider who had asked the question. He answered her nonchalantly, "I am comparing my progress to this schedule of Defense against the Dark Arts".

She saw the schedule then frowned, "This is not the schedule that Professor Quirrell has set for us".

That was when Harry realized who he was talking to, "Hermione this is not his schedule. He is incompetent as a teacher. This schedule was set for me by my guardian. He obtained 11 Outstandings during his time at Hogwarts".

Hermione's eyes were round as Galleons. She almost snatched the schedule from him, "Can I see it? Will you teach me too? Can I meet him? Can you tell me more?"

Harry sighed. He had invited this on himself. He had been careless with his words. Now it was going to cost him. "Hermione, I am a student myself. I doubt that I can teach you. I cannot tell you more because I know only as much as you do or may be less than you. You can meet Uncle Moony if you can come over during the winter vacation. That is if he has not planned holidays somewhere else".

It had been a week since the Slytherins had been caught in the dead of night. Due to previous warning, no students from the House of Gryffindor had been caught. Snape, true to Harry's predictions kept wandering around the Fat Lady's portrait portal to Gryffindor tower after curfew. He would remain there for an hour after mid-night despite the weather turning to winter. Harry knew that Snape suspected the Gryffindors were involved in the act so he was after them. Luckily, he had not gone after other houses or someone might have squealed to him.

That night, Harry felt a need to go out, take a walk around the castle. Neville told him that it was chilly outside and he was not Gryffindor enough to brave it. Harry wanted to walk about the castle, nothing more. He was near the 5th floor when he heard two people talking in whispers.

Under the invisibility cloak, he levelled himself with the wall and slowly walked forward to find out what was happening. When he came upon the occurrence, he sighed. It had kind of become the usual scene for him to find Snape with a wand pointed at Quirrell.

Snape was growling, "Did you find a way to get past the three headed dog yet?"

Quirrell was whimpering, "Seve. Severus, I don't know what you are talking about. I was just taking a walk".

Severus had dug his wand into Quirrell's chest, "Don't try to fool me. I know you are trying to find a way past the dog. There is still time to think about your loyalties, Quirrell. We will talk again".

Harry felt pity for the defense teacher. He was already a fragile bloke. a man like Snape was threatening him to find a way around the Cerberus. He was coercing Quirinus Quirrell. Since Harry could not find a way to console Quirinus, he decided to lend him some moral support. If there was someone standing between Snape and the dog, it was the defense Professor who despite not being very strong was standing up to the potions professor.

Harry also was intrigued now. Just what was beneath that trap-door that Snape was so eager to get? Maybe it was time to meet with Hagrid, ask him some questions. Thanks to Moony, he already knew that the groundskeeper was terrible at keeping secrets. He was unfailingly loyal but terrible at keeping his mouth shut.

**Library**

"And that is what happened", Harry had just finished telling Neville and Daphne about what had happened the previous night.

Daphne was thinking things over. She understood that Severus Snape was after the thing beneath the trap-door. It must have been something invaluable or powerful for him to be interested in it. She took her time to form an answer, "Putting together every fact which we have unearthed, it is certain that Snape is after that thing but I do not think we should get involved in it. May be we can try to find out what is beneath that trap door. If it is invaluable, we would tell the elders and leave it to them to protect it. For that you will both need to meet with Hagrid though".

Harry nodded, "I understand, Daphne. In fact this evening we are planning to pay him a visit".

As soon as they left the library, they came across the duo of Hermione and Ron. Hermione asked him, "Hi Harry. Where are you going?"

Harry did not want to involve her in this but he could not think of an excuse fast enough. He allowed them to tag along with him to visit Hagrid. It was likely they would not understand what was going on.

Hagrid was in his hut, tending to his dinner. He jovially welcomed them. He presented them with his rock cakes and tea. A subtle shake of the head from Harry was enough to tell the others to stay away from the cakes. They were deep into their cups when Harry asked him, "Hagrid, what do you think happened to my broom during the match?"

Ron said, "I'll bet that Flint hexed it when he collided with you".

Hagrid waved his big dustbin lid size hands, "That is some complicated dark magic. I can't expect a student to know that".

Hermione said, "I already told you Harry that I saw Snape jinxing your broom".

Hagrid said vehemently, "Rubbish. Snape is a teacher. He would not do anything like that".

Harry was glad that Hermione had given him the opening, "Then why was he trying to go near the three headed dog?"

Hagrid dropped his cup, "Who told you about Fluffy?"

Harry snorted, "That thing has a name! And it's Fluffy? Are you sure that you did not mix up his name with Fang's? Anyway, I have seen Snape going towards it".

Now Hagrid was threatening them, "you four! Keep away from whatever it is. It is dangerous for you to involve yourselves in. I gave Fluffy to Dumbledore to guard something. It is between him and his friend Nicholas Flammel..." He clamped his mouth as he realized what he had blurted. He started muttering, "I shouldn't 'ave said that! I shouldn't 'ave said that!"

Meanwhile, Harry stood up and was walking out, "Thank-you, Hagrid. You have been very helpful".

On the way back to the castle, Hermione asked them, "What three-headed dog was he talking about?"

Harry stopped and stared at Hermione, "What? Only one question? You're an imposter. What have you done with the real Hermione?"

She answered with her patented Hermione glare, then Harry said, "Okay. You pass". Then he turned to Neville and said, "Minion, would you please do the honors?"

Neville acted offended, "Minion? Me? I thought it was your turn to be the minion".

Harry quipped, "Nope. It's Friday and you're on minion duty Fridays".

There was no way that they could keep it secret from her any longer. She already knew a little about it. If she said the wrong thing in the wrong place or started asking the wrong questions from wrong person, it could mean trouble for them. The safest way out was to tell her about it. Neville told her the bare essentials about their first meeting with the dog, what little they knew about Snape's involvement in the whole episode. They did not brief her about Snape's history with his parents or anything like that. After all, Lord Black always played his cards close to his chest. He had taught Harry and Neville the same thing. The old man had shaped the two young wizard's lives with a decision of his.

**Ministry of Magic**

The hearing for Fudge and Malfoy's attempt to usurp the Lordship of House Black was scheduled for today and Lord Black was ready to maul the two of them. Lucius perhaps understood that. He also realized that he had little power under the current regime. There was no way for him except to heed Lord Black's demands. Besides, the older wizard was more powerful politically. He could create more problems for Lucius than he needed.

Fudge had been making noise among his fellow lords that Lucius had backstabbed him. Most of them knew he was speaking the truth. Lucius also knew that they would not go against him. Being a former member of the inner circle of the Dark Lord had its privileges.

The hearing was a closed matter which could be decided without the Wizengamot being involved. As such, it was scheduled before Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of DMLE.

When Lucius entered into Scrimgeour's office, Rufus pointed him to a seat, "Have a seat, Mr. Malfoy". When Arcturus arrived, Rufus stood from his place and warmly shook hands with him, "Welcome Lord Black. Please take a seat while we wait for Mr. Fudge". The demeanour of Scrimgeour towards Arcturus was sufficient warning to him that this was not going to be favourable to him at all. The one most poorly treated was Fudge. Rufus did not even speak to him but just pointed him to his seat.

After they were seated, Rufus started to speak, "As you all know, you all are here for a hearing on a complaint lodged by Lord Black against you both for violating his rights. Do you wish to say something in your defense?"

Malfoy went first, "I do not have any defense to make against these allegations made by him. I was in the wrong for having violated his rights. I tender an unconditional apology to him and I vow to pay reparations as he chooses".

In truth, Malfoy knew he had lost in the political field against Lord Black. The old wizard had the upper hand. Howsoever he may try Arcturus Black would always end up on top. It was better to retreat when the time was not opportune. When it was his time again, Lucius would avenge for all the insults which had been caused to him.

Rufus turned to Fudge, "Mr. Fudge, do you want to say something in your defense?"

The former minister started gibbering, "I had no role in this. It was Lucius's doing. He convinced me that his son was the next heir. Accordingly I made the appointment".

Arcturus growled, "You fool. Did he show you a decree from Gringotts naming his son as the heir apparent?"

Fudge tried to say something more, then thought better of it and kept his peace. There was nothing he could say anyway.

Rufus prompted him, "Do you have anything more to say, Mr. Fudge?"

Fudge shook his head, "No. I accept my responsibility. I agree to pay reparations as he chooses".

Rufus turned to him, "Would you like to say something, Lord Black?"

Arcturus decided to appear magnanimous to the head of DMLE, "I have nothing to say, Mr. Scrimgeour. Minister Bones has appointed you to adjudicate upon this dispute. I will respect your decision".

Rufus smiled brightly, "if you all are so agreed then I leave it upon you to decide as to what you want in the way of reparations from them".

Arcturus turned to Lucius, "last I heard you had ten million Galleons in liquid assets in your vault when you were trying to bargain for your family honour. I will take 5 million Galleons out of that".

Lucius blanched, "But you said you do not want to touch my gold".

Arcturus gave him an evil smirk, "I have changed my mind now. I want 6 Million Galleons from you. Every time you refuse, I will keep raising it. It is your call now, Lucius".

Lucius knew he should agree to his demands quickly. After all, it was far less than he would have paid to redeem his family honor if it came down to that. If the matter went before the Wizengamot, the debacle which would happen would be nothing short of getting his family honour impugned. The only way for him was to accept his demands. He reluctantly said, "Lord Black, I accept your demands. I agree to pay reparations in the form of 6 Million Galleons to you".

Arcturus turned to Fudge, "May I enquire about how much you have in the form of property and liquid assets in your vaults? That is, provided that you are considered important enough at Gringotts to be given a High Security Vault like the old families or do you have an ordinary vault which can be opened with a key like the trust vaults which we give to our heirs?"

This was the cruellest thing that Lord Black could say to Fudge. Of course this was an insult which he could not stomach easily. Everyone knew that Fudge was not issued a high security vault which was reserved for the old families mostly. The emphasis on vaults was to show that House of Black was far superior to House of Fudge.

Fudge was seething but controlled his emotions. He replied a bit smugly, "Last time I checked, House of Fudge had a manor, two apartments in Muggle London, shares in a business in Hogsmeade and about 5 Million Galleons in the vault".

Lord Black turned to Rufus. He grinned, "That is one problem solved, Rufus. Mr. Fudge has just told you the extent of his properties. Now the ministry does not have to bang its head against the wall in this matter, I presume".

Rufus returned the grin, "I am indeed very thankful to you, Lord Black. We can now move directly to seize the said assets of house Fudge".

Lord Black turned to Cornelius who was gaping in shock, "So Mr. Fudge, I want 3 Millions out of those 5 Millions which you have squirreled away in your vault".

**Hogwarts**

Harry was sitting with Isobel while thinking about Nicholas Flammel. He knew he had read the name somewhere but he just could not recall it. He knew if he asked Moony or Sirius, they would tell him in a minute but it was an unnecessary risk which he did not want to take.

It had so happened that Neville had stayed behind to help in the Greenhouses. Harry had gone to the library to study.

Isobel had walked into the library, saw him at a table and took the seat beside him without asking. When he did not greet her or say anything but kept poring over a hefty tome, she asked him, "What has occupied your mind that you are looking over such a tome without any reason to do so?"

Harry realized that she was sitting beside him. He said formally, "I was just trying to find a bloke in these books. I have read about him somewhere but just cannot recall where".

She said simply, "you can always ask, Harry. We are your friends. we will help you, if we can".

Harry lightly smacked his forehead, "yeah, I tend to do this often. Anyway, I was looking for Nicholas Flammel. I cannot remember where I have read his name".

Isobel smirked, "Looks like you do not know your Chocolate Frog Cards, Harry".

Harry frowned, "What has he got to do with Chocolate frog cards?"

She pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to him, "Here, read the description on this one".

Harry read the name of the wizard. It clicked into his mind where he had read the name. He smacked his head, "What an idiot I am. Thank you Isobel, you have been very helpful".

She was grinning, "Now can you find the encyclopedia or do you need my help with it?"

Harry grinned sheepishly, "Don't embarrass me more, please".

Nicholas Flammel who was a friend of Dumbledore, was an alchemist who had a wife named Perenelle Flammel. they both were more than 600 years old. He was credited with the discovery of the Sorcerer's stone which could turn anything into gold. It could also create the elixir of life which gives long life and good health to the user.

This was enough to get the bells ringing in his head. The Sorcerer's stone was being housed in the school. Snape was after it. He could not wait to tell his friends about it but that would have to wait. If he ran to them leaving Isobel there, she would get suspicious.

"What is your favourite subject, Harry?", Isobel was asking.

That brought Harry out of his musings. He turned to her, "My favourite subjects yet are Transfiguration and Charms. I like defense but the Professor is a sub-standard teacher who does not know what he is teaching. I like my plants well enough but I am not mad about them like Neville is". She snorted at his answer. He decided to keep the conversation going, "What is your favourite subject, Isobel?"

She said simply, "I am intrigued by transfiguration. I have heard it is the most complex branch of magic only after Arithmancy but we do not get to take our electives until third year".

Harry asked her out of curiosity, "Isobel, I know that your family lives in Scotland but have you been to Hogsmeade yet?"

She shook her head, "We always do our shopping in Diagon Alley. Grand-father told me that I can visit there in my third year. I feel like third year is really far away".

Harry asked her, "Would you like to go to the village?"

She immediately nodded, "yes please but how?"

Harry smirked, "Follow me. Let me show you one of the many talents of Hadrian Potter-Black".

She followed him out of the library to the fifth floor where there was the statue of the humped witch. When they stopped there, she asked him, "Did you bring me to watch the crone?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I brought you here to show you the path to freedom".

He tapped the statue with his wand then muttered "Dissendium". The hump opened and he asked her to jump in. She reluctantly did so. Harry followed suit, closing the hump behind him.

When they emerged into Honeydukes an hour later, Mr. Flume was manning the counter. He welcomed him warmly, "Welcome Mr. Potter-Black. I see you have brought me another patron".

Harry grinned, "Since you are such an amenable host, it is hard to refuse the hospitality of your establishment, Mr. Flume. This charming lady here is my friend, Isobel McDougall, daughter of the McDougall clan. Isobel, this gentleman here is Mr. Ambrosius Flume, the secret behind the tasty chocolates of Honeydukes".

They took leave of Mr. Flume and went on a tour of the village. Once they had to dive behind the snow piled beside the road to escape Professor McGonagall. She seemed to be visiting the village with Professor Vector, the Arithmancy witch. When the two witches had passed, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

When they got cold from walking out in the snow, they walked into the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosemerta who had started to recognize him smiled jovially at the two of them. She said, "Oh my my! Looks like your talents exceed your father and god-father, Harry. They could not ask anyone out until their fourth year. You are already walking around with a pretty witch on your arm". They both blushed at her words. They were just 11 years old after all.

"Indeed you are right, Rosy. My godson certainly seems to be the magnet to attract witches when his poor father who was smitten by his mother at first sight could not get her to go out with him until their seventh year. As for me, I never cared about showing off, so you would not know about it", said Sirius Black who had just entered the inn with Remus in tow.

Remus frowned at him, "I knew it was a bad idea to tell you about the secret ways out of the castle, cub. How many times have you been on unauthorized visits out of the castle by now?"

Rosmerta chided him, "Hush you both. Don't you go chasing my patrons away. Besides, this one and the Longbottom boy remind me of you lot except they are much more civilized than you".

Sirius grumbled, "I would not have expected anything other than that from those who have been brought up by grandfather. These two are the perfect con artists. Be careful Rosy or someday, they will bereave you of your most valued possessions".

Isobel asked Sirius, "Are you always like this?"

Sirius was confused, "Like what?"

She said with a straight face, "Are you always trying to make yourself likeable with poor puns and lame humor?"

Remus started laughing at this comment while Sirius pouted, "No one appreciates my humor these days".

Remus said to him, "Let's leave Sirius before they further affront you about your epochly poor sense of humour. Prongs never said anything about it because he did not want to break your heart".

Isobel turned to Harry, "He looks like a decent bloke. Why does he always try to make fun of the situation?"

Harry sighed, "I suppose having lost his reason to live, having spent a decade in Azkaban with Dementors can have that effect upon people. I have not spent much time with him since he was released so I do not know for certain".

They ordered a couple of butter beers and shortly left for the castle to make it back before others noticed they were missing. They did not want a search party looking for them.

**Lion's Den**

Harry, Neville, Hermione and Ron were sitting in the Common room on chairs in a corner. They were discussing what Harry had found out.

"This evening, I found out about Nicholas Flammel. He is an alchemist who is said to be over 600 years old. He is credited with making the Sorcerer's stone".

Hermione interrupted him, "I remember now. I read about him in a book I had borrowed from the library. He is an alchemist credited with making the Sorcerer's stone which can turn anything into gold and can make the elixir of life which can give long life to the drinker".

Harry was scowling but decided to let it go for the time being. He started speaking from where she had finished. "So, I guess Snape is after the stone. It is below that trap-door. Remember Hagrid had blurted that whatever was there in that high-security vault at Gringotts had been removed that same day. Then a few days ago, he blurted that it was between the Headmaster and Nicholas Flammel".

They agreed that it was the Sorcerer's stone which was being kept in the school but they did not know what other protections were there. They had no interest in knowing what it was doing in the school or why Snape wanted to get his hands on it. What they were concerned with was enjoying their school lives as much as they could while excelling at their studies.

Arcturus had informed Harry in no uncertain terms that he would tolerate any amount of mischief so long as Harry kept his grades up. It did not matter for the old wizard that Harry was placed at the top of his class. He was to have sufficient knowledge of everything that he was taught. The same message in the same terms had been conveyed to Neville by Augusta. They did mischief but they put in the hard work that was required first. They were not about to embarrass themselves before their guardians.

Hermione asked him, "Harry do you think Snape could be looking for it not for himself but for someone else?"

That thought jolted Harry. He obviously knew Snape had been a death eater during the first war. Later he claimed to have turned spy for Dumbledore. It was on Dumbledore's word that Snape was not sent to Azkaban. But what if Snape had never changed his loyalties, was still secretly working for Voldemort? What if the whispering he had heard in the night was Snape and Voldemort? He shuddered at the thought of such a thing happening.

Before he could say anything however, Ron had opened his mouth, "It is possible that he would be willing to obtain it to make a lot of gold. I mean I would not mind a stone which can turn anything into gold".

This was a different thought however Harry knew that taking all factors together, it just did not add up. Snape would not have been after the stone for making gold but for making the elixir of life which would be worth more than all the gold in the world for someone like a disembodied dark lord for instance.

The next day, he met with Daphne. He discussed everything with her. She was a patient listener. She listened to everything he said. When he was done, she started speaking, "Taking everything together, it is certain that the Sorcerer's stone is being hidden at the school. Nobody would be fool enough to leave all the protection up to a three-headed dog. We do not need to trouble ourselves with it however there is a question which I want ask- If you got your hands on that stone, what would you do with it Harry?"

Harry replied simply, "The stone is of no use to me, Daph. I would return it to someone who can keep it safe. Such a thing that could throw the world into chaos should not have been made in the first place".

**The mirror of desire**

One night, when Harry was talking with Sirius, Harry asked him out of curiosity, "Padfoot was there any place in Hogwarts that you wanted to find but could not despite knowing that it exists?"

Sirius thought hard for a moment before he started speaking, "When we were students, we had over-heard Dumbledore talking to someone about Archives of Hogwarts which are accessible to the Headmaster. It is situated somewhere in the castle. We tried hard to find it and put it on the map but we never got anywhere close to it. It contains such secrets about the castle that no one else in living memory knew about it. It is rumored that there is also information available on the Founders secured in the archive which is otherwise unavailable".

That made Harry curious about these Archives. It definitely would have many secrets that would be worth all the gold in his trust vault. He made up his mind to go exploring the castle under his Invisibility Cloak to find something about it. Harry had taken it upon himself as a challenge to find it since Sirius said that the Marauders could not find it. If he did so, he would be the second person in the thousand year old History of Hogwarts to have known about it besides the current headmaster.

He had started walking away from the Gryffindor Common Room without any fixed destination in mind. Before he realized it, he was already on the fourth floor in the restricted section of the library. For improved visibility, he had brought a lantern with him which he was using by keeping his hand out of the cloak. He was trying to look for any book which might give a clue about the location of the archive.

He thought that perhaps some of the books in that section of the library would contain information about the archives or may be some indication about their whereabouts.

He pulled a book off the shelf at random. Without a second thought, he opened it. The book started wailing loudly. Harry dropped his lantern and the book which shut itself. The wailing stopped. Since he had dropped his lantern, its glass was shattered and it went out.

Harry panicked momentarily but was thankful almost instantly for the darkness because Filch was already on the scene, sneering, "Smell him, my sweet. The nasty little blighter will be here somewhere". He had found the shattered lantern and was inspecting it.

The infernal cat, Mrs. Norris, was trying to sniff where Harry was standing. Harry was scared for a moment. If Filch started to move his hands through the air and managed to catch hold of his cloak then he would be seen. He stood without even daring to breathe while the cat meowed. She tried to sense him standing there but it moved away after a minute. Filch followed her. Harry cautiously walked out of the library to return to the Common Room when he ran into Filch and Snape in a small corridor.

Filch was showing him the lantern, saying, "This was found in the restricted section of the library, Professor which is out of bounds to students. It is still warm meaning some student is out of bed at this hour".

Snape ran off in one direction followed by Filch. Harry slipped into a space beside a suit of armour so that nobody would collide with him. There was not much space in that little corridor.

When he was level with the wall, trying to hide himself, he realized there was a door behind him. As Snape and Filch passed him, he opened the door which was already unlocked. He moved inside.

It was an unused room which was somewhere on the 2nd floor since the suit of Armour he had seen was certainly somewhere on that floor. He locked the door behind him. Then he started inspecting the room at once. It was full of broken furniture, old portraits. There were cobwebs on the ceiling. There at the side of the room was a mirror, erected by the wall. It had some strange symbols and runes on it. Harry had not learned enough about runes to be able to decipher it. Despite it having been locked in an unused room for perhaps decades, it was clean without a speck of dirt on the glass.

Curiously, he peered into the glass. He felt longing in his heart. There in the mirror, he could see his parents (he had many pictures of them and had seen them in Moony's memories through the years), his grand-parents and many other people he was sure were his relatives. His mother was prettier than the photos he had seen of her. They both looked so young. James Potter had his hand on his son's shoulder. Lily was smiling at him in the mirror. What's more, there were more people in the mirror- Arcturus Orion Black, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Neville Longbottom and Daphne Greengrass.

He kept gazing at them making conversation with the images he saw in the mirror. While they did not reply to him, they would smile at him making him feel at ease with himself. He remained there for about 2 hours but had to leave when he saw Mrs. Norris walking into the room he was in. He promised himself to just come here once more to see those people in the mirror. He had to see them again.

**Neville's dreams**

Next morning, he had told Neville everything that he had seen. Neville was indignant, "You went off without me? You could have woke me up, Harry".

Harry waved him off, "Mate, you can come tonight. I am going there again".

They had also told Daphne about the mirror. She showed no interest in the said mirror saying that she liked to stay away from enchanted mirrors especially ones that had the power to show people who have passed away.

Their plan to go undetected to the mirror however was thwarted when Ron tagged along with them as they left the Common Room. He followed them out of the portrait hole and asked, "Where are you both going?"

Harry decided that they might as well take him along before he attracted too much attention. He asked Ron to follow him in a whisper. Together, they went looking for the room where the mirror was.

When they found the mirror, Harry let Neville have a look before he did. Neville reported, "I can see myself in the mirror as I am looking now and… and..." his breath was caught in his throat and his eyes were brimming with tears, "my parents are with me and there is you and Gran and Daph".

Harry was thankful he had not called Daphne by name but also puzzled. He had thought that Neville too would see the Potters in the mirror but evidently it showed different people to different persons.

To test his theory, he asked Ronald to look into the mirror. Ron peered into it and a grin spread on his face, "I can see that I am a prefect and the Head Boy. I have won the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup".

Harry was stupefied. The mirror was not even showing the Weasleys to Ron when it should have. It had just showed him and Neville their families.

However, he had no time to ponder because he could see that Snape was coming towards them on the Marauder's map. If they wanted to escape detention, they had to leave at that instant. Harry knew in his heart that he would return for the third night, just to find out the secret of the mirror. Neville and Ron had decided that they did not want to visit the mirror again.

The third night, as Harry arrived and took off his cloak, someone said, "I knew you would come again, Harry".

Harry had his wand out in a moment. He turned around to find Albus Dumbledore standing there in his midnight blue robes with its stars and moon pattern and the twinkle in his eyes. Harry said to him sheepishly, "I am sorry I did not see you, Professor".

Dumbledore chuckled, "That happens when one is intent upon a goal, Harry. Other things are easily overlooked". He gestured to the mirror, "I see that you have found the Mirror of Erised".

Harry asked him, confused, "What is that?"

Dumbledore pointed towards the mirror, "This is called the mirror of erased because it shows more than your face. See the writing on it? It reads _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_ but if you read it backwards then it reads _I show not your face but your heart's desire_. Have you figured out what it does?"

Harry thought for a second before he replied, "Does it show our desires?"

Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "Indeed. Your friends Neville and Ron saw their desires. Neville saw him with his parents cured of their ailment, you, someone Daph as a family because he has not known his parents like you. Your friend Ron has 5 elder brothers. They all have done great deeds so he is over-burdened by expectations even when they are not there. He desires to do better than all his brothers so he saw himself as the Head-boy, a Prefect, holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup".

He paused for a moment to take a breath before he continued saying, "This mirror is a dangerous artefact, Harry. This makes a person bereft of their senses by showing something which is not reality. Wizards better than you have fallen to its charm, lost the meaning of their lives. It is good to have dreams, Harry but it is not wise to hold onto them when they can become toxic to you. Today this mirror will be moved to a new location. I would ask that you do not go looking for it again. Harry, promise me that you will not go looking for it".

Harry agreed, "I promise, Professor".

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had returned, "Now off to bed with you, Harry. It is quite late. I presume you do not want to be put into detention for being late to classes".

Harry started to go but stopped. He turned to Dumbledore, "Professor, what do you see when you look into the mirror?"

Dumbledore was thoughtful for a moment before he said, "I see myself holding a pair of fine woolen socks. You see every year people gift me a lot of books but never a good pair of woollen socks".

Harry returned to his dorm. He was in his bed when he realized that perhaps it was too personal of a question to ask the old Headmaster.

**Duelling Class**

Flitwick was having them work on increasing their casting speed. When they arrived for his class two weeks ago, he had them sit and asked them, "Do you both have any idea about how to increase your casting speed?"

Harry answered him, "Professor, casting speed increases with practice. As time is spent practicing, one's casting abilities get better".

Flitwick nodded, "You are right. Sometimes casting speed can make all the difference between a loss and a win. If you are a bit faster than your opponent, it may allow you to cast a spell even in the briefest of intervals, which would make all the difference. For the next week, I want you both to come here for an hour in the evening for at least two evenings to practice casting at the dummies. We will follow this pattern for this term. we will proceed to something new during the new term".

With that, he set them to practice casting colour changing spells at a dummy. The only catch was that the dummy was casting at them instead of defending or standing inert when they cast. There was an hourglass which they had to set before they started to practice. They had to keep casting. Neither of them could hit the other's dummy. When the hour was over, the dummies would stop casting. They were to count the number of hits they had made upon their dummies. That would be helpful for them to know how much they had cast in an hour.

The first evening of practice, Harry had made 120 hits in an hour while Neville was around 110. They both vowed to do better the next time. Last time they practiced, Harry was at 140 with Neville at 135. They were getting better but it would have to wait for the new term because the winter vacation was starting in 4 days.

Hermione who had missed her parents was going home. Ernie, Susan, Hannah, Justin, Michael, Lisa and almost everyone else was going home except the Weasleys.

Harry asked Ronald, "Why are you staying at the castle, mate?"

Ron shrugged, "Mother, Father and Ginny are visiting Charlie in Romania. The house will be empty therefore we are staying back".

Harry had talked to the Marauders. Then he met with Percy, "Percy, my guardian wants me to extend an invitation of hospitality to you and your brothers. Lord Black desires to meet you all. Will you accept my invitation?"

Percy had accepted after he had sent a letter home. After he received the reply from his parents, he found Harry to inform him, "We will be coming with you, Harry".

Harry was happy because they would not be the only ones in the tower on the occasion of Yule when everyone else was with their families. On the side, the twins would get to meet the Marauders.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hogsmeade**

The winter holidays were starting. Harry and his friends were at the station getting ready to board the train to go home. The Weasleys had joined him and he was sure that they would have some good times together.

As Sirius had told him about the Marauders, Harry took the last car for himself and his friends with all of them slipping into different compartments. He was joined by Neville, Susan, Hannah, Hermione, Ronald, Ernie, Lisa and Michael. He had asked Isobel to join them but the Ravenclaw had refused saying that since she lived in Scotland, it didn't make any sense for her to go to London just to come back to Scotland again. Her father was coming to pick her up. She would be home before Harry and his friends were in London.

Ernie asked him, "Do you have any plans for Yule, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't have any plans of my own since my plans are often dictated by Lord Black, Remus and, I guess, Sirius now. If they decide that we're going somewhere then that is where I'll go. However, I do think that we'll stay for Yule in London. Maybe we'll be spending the rest of the holidays out of Britain. What about you, Ernie?"

Ernie enthusiastically told him, "We're going abroad this evening. We'll be back in time for Yule. I guess we'll be meeting then".

Ron asked him, "If you're going out of Wizarding Britain, why did you ask us to join you?"

Harry said simply, "You are invited by Lord Black. I don't think he would make any plan that would leave you people behind. He is a very gracious host who cares for the comfort of his guests. However Ronald, I am cautioning you that you need to be on your best behavior with him. He is a pureblood Lord who cares for the mannerisms required of scions and heirs of houses. Besides, he is the brother of your grand-mother".

Ron grumbled, "Some brother! Never thought about taking us back into the family, did he?"

Harry said to him a bit sternly, "Do not say anything like that about Lord Black in my hearing again. I won't hear a word against him. I am sure that if you ask him about it, he will answer you".

Neville decided to break the tension in the situation, "Who's up for exploding snaps?"

Ernie, Hannah, Neville, Ronald and Michael joined him in playing exploding snap. Hermione was reading her favorite book so far, "Hogwarts: A history". Michael and Lisa were discussing something about Bulbadox powder, putting it in someone's clothes. Harry mentally shuddered at just the thought.

Susan was the only one who was not doing anything. He turned to her, "What are your plans for Yule, Susan?"

She replied off-handedly, "I guess I will be at the Manor alone since Auntie is the minister now. She can't manage to make time for me out of her duties".

Harry said to her jovially, "Why don't you come over then? I am living in the middle of London. The more the merrier. Lord Black has asked me to invite every friend of mine to the house for Yule. I have already extended my invitations to everyone else. It's just you remaining now".

She nodded, "Alright. I'll talk to Auntie. I'll come over, if she agrees".

Harry had in fact invited every one of his friends while at school. Sirius had told him that starting next year, they would have a Yule Ball as they used to have before the war. This year, they would have to do with a simple celebration. It was an occasion to make connections with everyone who was of some importance in the wizarding world.

About mid-way during the ride, the trolley witch came. Those in that car had almost emptied her cart buying everything that caught their fancy. After they had stuffed themselves full, Harry decided to take a walk. While he was in the corridor, Malfoy and his goons made their appearance. Lately he had not bothered Harry except bickering here and there but nothing concrete. Harry was satisfied that he had stayed within his limits.

When Malfoy spotted Harry, he sneered, "Look who it is boys. Saint Scar-head himself".

Harry sighed, "Really Malfoy? Did it take you most of the term to come up with that one? Can you actually do anything without these two trolls to back you up?"

Crabbe grunted something inaudible but it surprised Harry. Crabbe's voice was very thin in contrast to his bulk. Goyle did not say anything but kept looking at the two of them as if he could not understand why he was there in the first place.

Harry turned to Malfoy, "Really, I just came by to say hello. But, if you want to fight, then you are welcome to do so. Tell me Malfoy, do you have sufficient people behind you to fight with me and my friends?"

Malfoy drawled, "I see one of you. There are three of us".

At that moment, many of the firsties in that car walked out of their compartments with their wands in hand. Harry smirked, "You were saying Malfoy?"

Malfoy was gaping like a fish, "I will teach you a lesson someday, Potter-Black".

Harry waved him off, "If I were to fear the likes of you, I may as well snap my wand and go into hiding".

Malfoy hastily made his exit. He was not such an idiot that he would try to take up arms against 20 of them with only two of his house mates at his side.

When the train came to a halt at Platform 9 ¾, Harry got off the train to find Sirius and Remus on the platform waiting for him and his friends. They were standing with Augusta Longbottom and Amelia Bones on the platform.

Harry ran into the arms of Sirius and Remus. After they had fussed over him, Sirius asked him, "Where are the others?"

Harry introduced everyone to him. Then he went to greet Augusta. He did not bow to her as was custom but instead hugged her tightly, "Hello Gran! I missed you so much. Hogwarts is such a dreary place without a witch of your temper to boss the students around".

She asked him mock sternly, "If you missed me so much, why didn't I see so much as a single letter from you? Neville's letters were woefully short about you and what you were up to".

Harry knew her complaint was genuine. He said to her fondly, "I promise it will not happen again. Now are you joining us for Yule?"

She mussed his hair, "I wouldn't miss it for anything. We will be there at the appointed hour".

He also greeted Amelia performing a proper bow for her. She raised an eye-brow, "I assume it is thanks to Lord Black's upbringing that you are versed in our manners and customs. James and Sirius were as uncouth as street urchins".

Sirius protested, "I was more suave than him, Amelia".

She asked him, "Exactly when did you or James show proper respect towards me? I remember your exact words when I asked you both about it. Do you want me to recall those words in front of these children?"

Sirius huffed, "Alright you win this round". He turned to the children gathered around, "It's time we get going. Since I do not have a car, nor do I personally like the Knight Bus, and we will look strange on the road dragging those trunks behind us, we are going to floo to the house. The address is #12, Grimmauld Place".

While Harry was busy having a word with everyone, Neville was busy meeting the Marauders, paying his respects to them. However, the Marauders were having none of it.

Sirius had embraced him first. Then he said, "Remember Neville, you are as dear to me as Frank was. You are like a nephew to me. I would rather spoil children than make them learn these customs and mannerisms".

Neville smiled inadvertently while Augusta asked Sirius, "is that why Frank said that James and Sirius together were bad company? Because you two together meant trouble?"

Sirius sheepishly smiled, "Do you honestly expect me to answer that?"

In the meanwhile, Harry was saying good-bye to his friends for the winter holidays. Hermione wanted him to come meet her parents on the muggle side but he had to refuse her. He invited her for Yule asking her to bring her parents over. She regretfully told him that she was going to the continent for the winter vacation. Harry told her to visit the magical area of the city telling her its location. He said that she would find it interesting. As she went towards the barrier into the muggle world, Harry walked towards the floo network in the station. He went first followed by the Weasleys and lastly the Marauders.

Since he arrived first, Arcturus picked him up, hugged him tightly saying, "I missed you child. This place felt like a haunted house without you here".

The first of the Weasleys to come was Percy who bowed low to Arcturus, "Greetings Lord Black. I, Percival Ignatius Weasley of House Weasley pay my respects to you".

Arcturus kindly smiled at him, "Welcome Percival. It is an honour to be able to host you and your brothers under my roof".

The twins came through next. He did not even allow them to bow. He said to them, "You don't need to stand on formalities with me. You are all my grand-nephews, practically family. Just tell me your names though".

One of the twins said, "I am Gred". The other added, "I am Forge".

Arcturus chuckled, "I can see why Harry thinks so highly of the both of you. You two were named after your uncles, I presume. The Prewett twins- Fabian and Gideon?"

The twins asked him, "Did you know them?"

He shook his head, "I only knew them by reputation. My sister Lucretia was fond of them though. I heard that they were bested in an ambush involving 10 death eaters out of which only 4 survived".

By this time, Ron had come. Arcturus turned to him at last, "I assume you are young Ronald who is one of Harry's new friends". He turned to everyone, "Welcome to Black Townhouse all of you. There are no rules beneath my roof. Live, enjoy as if you were at your house. The only rule is that I ask you to try to ensure that the house remains standing, despite all the pranks which I am sure you will be pulling on each other".

He raised his voice and called, "Kreacher". The ancient elf appeared before him, "Master calls?"

Arcturus turned to him, "Kreacher, these fine people are our guests for this winter vacation. You are being entrusted with the responsibility to look after their comfort. Ensure that they are not lacking in anything. Now please show them to their rooms".

Since there were enough rooms in the Townhouse, separate rooms were given to all of them except the twins who refused to take separate rooms, claiming that they could not sleep alone.

Kreacher served them with butterbeers for refreshments before they were shown to their rooms. When the Twins had finished their butterbeer, they found the bottle was transparent. There was a message on the glass which read, "_A gift from the Marauders_".

The twins were horrified with the implications of the message but nothing seemed to happen… right away. Kreacher showed them the way upstairs. as soon as they were in their room, Fred started crowing like a rooster while George started neighing like a horse. Their butterbeers had been hexed!

The first evening was spent with them eating in the kitchen of the Townhouse while the elves served them. Everyone was present at the table except Arcturus who said he was tired. He retired early when in fact he was trying to keep himself out of the way of the children with all the fun they would be having.

When they all headed toward the table for dinner, the twins, as they exited their room, found themselves stuck to the floor. Despite all they could do, there was no way that they could move. They were horrified about the situation but there was no way they could free themselves. They were sure that they had been fixed to the floor with a sticking charm but they could not undo it for they had left their wands in their trunks.

Sirius appeared out of nowhere before them grinning. He said, "I heard that you two lads found the map in Filch's office. I also heard from a little birdie that the map insulted you two. It also came to my knowledge that you consider yourselves to be some sort of legacy carriers of the Marauders' name. You also had the audacity to call our precious map a rag of a parchment? I am formally challenging you both to a prank war on behalf of the Marauders". With that he walked down to the kitchen.

The twins could not free themselves of their predicament they had carelessly left their wands well out of reach. They stood stuck in place waiting for someone to come by for about 15 minutes before Kreacher came looking for them.

He bowed low and said, "Master Harry is calling you two sirs to table".

The twins tried to be nice to him, "The thing is, Kreacher that Mr. Black has left us stuck here. We are not able to free ourselves. Can you free us?"

Kreacher snapped his fingers and released them. While they went downstairs, they planned for retaliation against the Marauders. They had dropped in on them unannounced. Gred and Forge would be damned if they did not even the score.

At the dining table, Travistor was serving Harry and the Marauders while Kreacher looked after the Weasleys.

Ron expressed his astonishment at seeing the elves, "Blimey Harry! You have two elves".

Harry chuckled, "Two? These are just the elves who are personally bound to us. I guess there are more who take care of business at my other concerns".

When dinner was done, Sirius took them into the meeting room to talk. The twins pounced on the Marauders now that they had the chance, "Is it true that you hold the detentions record for your pranks? Will you teach us some of your tricks?"

Sirius chuckled at their antics while Moony smiled at them. Before they could say anything, Percy interrupted, "pardon their insolence, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin.". He turned to the twins, "Behave, you two".

Remus waved him off, "It's alright Percy. They are children. It is not good to suppress their curious nature". He turned to the twins, "Yes we do hold the record for the most detentions but I believe most of them are in the names of James Potter and Sirius Black. I had the fortune to feature in very few of them. It comes with the territory of being the clever one who can avoid detection. But we do not take on any apprentice unless they have proven themselves to us".

Sirius had his wand out, "Talking about proving yourselves, here is something for you to mull over. Find a way out". He shot a hex at them which caused one of them to grow hair which went way past his waist. In a few moments, it was long enough to cocoon him in. The hex at the other forced him to change humanoid appearances from human to elf to goblin, then the same again.

Moony relieved them of their predicament after a few minutes of watching the twins trying to relieve themselves of the hexes. When they were free, they turned to Sirius, "We accept your challenge, Mr. Black.".

Harry groaned inwardly. If they engaged in a prank war, he could only pray that the house would remain standing and that Lord Black would not hex them into oblivion.

After that, talk turned to the Marauder's time at school. They were careful not to mention the map though. It was a closely guarded secret. Percy was a Prefect so it would drastically curtail their activities if he knew of the little piece of miracle.

**The Prank Lord**

The next day, they were all in for some surprises. When they were all sitting for breakfast, Arcturus was late in coming to the table. When he arrived, he took a seat at the head of the table. Suddenly, manacles came out of the chair and bound him to it. Everyone was shocked. This was not supposed to happen. They were to prank each other but not him. Even the twins looked worried at this. They shared a look among themselves as if asking if they had done this. Padfoot was asking the same question from Moony. When it was clear that they all had nothing to do with the prank, they turned to the last prankster in residence, that being Harry who looked scared and confused. He was also looking at the four of them to determine if they had something to do with this.

Percy misread the situation. He took the twins to task, "That was not proper, Fred and George. He is our elder. You should have shown respect to him. I will have to complain to Mother about it".

By this time, Sirius had freed Arcturus. The old wizard admonished Percy, "It's alright Percy. You are all children. It's perfectly agreeable if they get up to their shenanigans at times. In fact, I am impressed with their guts to try and prank me".

After that, breakfast passed peacefully enough for a while.

Harry knew the twins had not done it. Maybe the Marauders had done it just to enrage the twins. Other than them, only 3 possibilities existed. Harry had not done it. He knew it was complex magic which could not have been done by a first year student so Ronald was also out. That left only Percy who was certainly knowledgeable enough to do something like this. Harry had to snort at his own line of thought. Percy was the perfect Prefect. He was a stickler for rules. He revered authority figures besides working at making as many contacts as he could. He was certainly ambitious. He would not do anything to destroy his reputation with someone as powerful and influential as Arcturus Orion Black.

After a while, one of the marauders decided that things were getting boring. As one of the twins picked up his plate, the legs on his chair vanished. He fell. The other scramble to pick him up but he found himself hovering in the air.

Arcturus growled at Sirius, "Is that how you have been taught to deal with those who cannot reply to you?"

As it turned out, Sirius had his wand under the table. He had cast the spell at the chair and vanished its legs. Then he had shot the hovering charm at the other twin's clothes.

Sufficiently admonished, Sirius took a seat. He sat quietly after he had let George down. The twins however were incensed. Nobody had ever scored so many on them without them making the score even.

Arcturus could understand what was going on in their minds. He told them, "You two can answer him in kind, if that is your wish. I don't mind you casting spells unless you are a threat to others or yourselves". The twins grinned in response.

The rest of breakfast passed without incident then. But the day was far from over. After breakfast was done, Sirius turned to the children at the table, "Alright, since we have a full day ahead of us with nothing to do, I thought maybe we could go around Muggle London, see the city for ourselves".

Since it was a new experience for all of them, they all agreed. The Weasleys knew nothing about the Muggle World. Ron told him in an undertone that the Weasley patriarch was fond of muggles and everything muggle.

Sirius turned to Harry, "Harry, why don't you call your friends on the floo. Invite them over. They can join us, if they wish to".

Harry nodded. He threw a pinch of floo powder into the kitchen fireplace and began to invite his friends. Of those he wanted to invite, Isobel had not given him a floo address. Ernie and Hermione were away. Justin's house was not connected to the floo network because he was a muggle-born. Lisa was a half-blood who lived somewhere in Muggle London. He could not get in contact with her. Michael was also at his Grand Parents' in the Netherlands. That meant it was just Neville, Daphne and Susan for today.

He flooed Neville first. He was met with Slinky, the Longbottom elf. Slinky saw his head in the flames, squeaked excitedly, "Master Harry!"

Harry smiled at the elf, "Hello Slinky. Would you please fetch Neville for me?"

Slinky disappeared. He returned a second later lugging Neville by the collar with mud flying everywhere. When Neville got his bearings, he asked Slinky, "Why did you do that, Slinky?"

Harry called out to him, "Come over as soon as you can get rid of the urchin look. We're going for a tour of muggle London".

Harry carefully pulled his head back through the flames. He called the next address, "Greengrass Manor".

Astoria Greengrass was in the floo room when he connected. She squealed, "Harry! Come over. Let's play together".

Harry shook his head, "Maybe later, little trouble. Right now can you call Daphne?"

As it turned out, Daphne was in the entrance hall sitting in a chair with her back to the floo. She turned to glare hard at him while Harry thought in his mind, "Uh oh... Here's trouble".

He tried to flatter her, "Hello trouble... Err... Daphne, I swear you are looking so cute with that look..." He stopped speaking mid-speech because he realized his words had no effect on her. Astoria was giggling at his pathetic attempt to make her smile. Finally he mellowed down his expression. He asked her sweetly, "What is the problem, Daphne?"

She growled, "Mother kept waiting for you to notice her at the Platform yesterday but no! The mighty Hadrian Potter-Black could not be bothered for a trifle like that".

"I hope that you aren't giving him a hard time over yesterday, Daphne", said Cynthia Greengrass who had just entered the room. She saw his head in the flames and turned to him, "Hello Harry dear. I know you were busy yesterday. You didn't notice me. I am not angry with you".

Harry smiled in response, "Thank you for not thinking otherwise, Auntie". She had once told him that she would not have him call her Lady Greengrass every time. He was to call her Auntie or Cynthia. He preferred Auntie.

Harry turned to Daphne, "We are planning to take a tour around Muggle London, Daph. Would you and Astoria like to join us? Neville is coming over. I am going to ask a few more people".

She replied, "Alright, we'll be coming over in 10 minutes".

With that Harry flooed to Susan next. She was sitting with Hannah listening to songs being played over the wizarding wireless in the background. It took him shouting at the top of his voice to get her attention. She brightly smiled when she noticed him, "Hi Harry. Come over, if you want".

Harry shook his head, "No, actually Sirius has asked me to invite you and Hannah for a tour of Muggle London we are taking. Can you both come over?"

Susan gave a bright smile, which kind of accentuated her cuteness, "Sure Harry, we will be there in 10 minutes".

Neville came over about 10 minutes later grumbling, "I swear Slinky loves you more than me. He even listens to you more than me. He does your bidding no matter how hard the task is".

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, you're the one to complain. Didn't Tipsy follow your orders more than mine?"

Susan and Hannah were next. Daphne and Astoria came last. Astoria squealed when she saw him. She lunged for him, hugging him, tackling him to the ground. When finally Harry could get her to control her excitement, he patted her head then asked her fondly, "How are you, little trouble?"

She pouted, "I'm fine. I waited for a letter from you but you didn't send one. Did you forget me when you were in school?"

Harry could hardly control himself from giggling at her antics, "No but I got regular news about you from Daphne. Now run along, little Trouble. Neville is in the meeting room with the others".

Astoria ran ahead of them. When Harry was escorting Daphne to the meeting room, he told her in an undertone, "Just to let you know, the meeting room is full of Weasleys. I don't think that anyone other than Ronald would mind though".

When Daphne entered the meeting room, Ron was on the balls of his feet. He shouted, "What is she doing here?"

Daphne answered indifferently, "The same as you, I guess. Harry has invited me over for a tour of Muggle London".

The twins' expressions were the most comical. They were looking at Neville and Harry in turns. They found their voice after a full minute, "Is that how you both have all the inside information from the Serpent's pit?"

Harry chuckled, "Right in one. She has been our friend for about 6 years now".

Ron was still not placated. He hissed at Harry, "But she is a Slytherin, mate".

Harry raised an eye-brow, "Still? Ron, how many times do I have to remind you that your grand-mother was a Slytherin? This house where you are standing belongs to a family which has been Slytherin through and through. Besides what is wrong with Slytherins? If you say they are death eaters then remember that Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor. There have been a couple of people from other houses who have been death eaters. I want you to give me a genuine reason to think Slytherin are evil. If you cannot give me one decent reason then please abandon this line of thought".

Percy spoke, "Well said Harry. Someone's house colour does not define their allegiances. In fact Ronald, the hat had debated with me before sorting me into Gryffindor. It said that I could do well in Slytherin but I did not want to break with tradition and be the first Weasley to enter the house of Serpents".

The twins decided to take the mickey out of him, "Was it really because you didn't want to break with tradition or was it that you were concerned for your rat, who turned out to be a bloke, that he would be devoured by the snakes?"

Percy snapped at them, "One more joke about the rat and I'll be writing to mother about it".

The twins grinned but said nothing more. Perhaps mentioning Mrs. Weasley was a strong deterrent to them.

Sirius broke the tension, "Cheer up, you kids. Uncle Sirius is taking you all for a real treat. I can imagine that most of you have never been in muggle London. It would do all of you some good to see it at least once. I don't want any of you squabbling while we are out. We are to have fun. Anyone being disruptive will be grounded in the Townhouse for the rest of the holidays".

Percy had other plans. He asked Sirius, "Mr. Black, I hope that you won't be offended. I wished to spend some time with Lord Black. Maybe I could pick up some useful tips about my career in the future".

Sirius nodded. With that, he led the party out of the Townhouse. Moony had made the arrangements already. He had booked two taxies for them to take them around the city showing them the remarkable monuments.

Sirius had planned many activities for them in the two days that they had before Yule. Since House of Black was a follower of the old ways, they celebrated Yule however he had not forbidden others from following whatever tradition they wanted. The day before Christmas was to be spent in Diagon Alley shopping for gifts for people.

Today was spent sight-seeing around the city. There were so many things to see that Harry lost count. He wished there was more time to see it all. He knew of the muggle life since he had gone to Muggle School but that had been in Bulgaria. Here, it was the first time he was venturing out in the Muggle World.

The spot that they had liked the most was the zoo. The zoo housed a lot of animals and they had been fascinated with them. A few of the animals like the wolves behaved peculiarly in the presence of Remus. A few were very friendly with him while a few ran away from his scent. Harry understood that they could recognize that he was a werewolf. They were skittish on being confronted with a magical creature.

They saw the aquarium where there were a lot of different fish, of almost every colour. The twins were excitedly watching everything and they were taking note of everything that impressed them. Harry knew they were perhaps looking for tricks that they could use in their pranks.

Astoria had not left Harry's side all through the trip. She would often grab his hand when she was scared. Harry was very protective of the younger girl. While Astoria was a real trouble maker and at times, she harassed him yet she was endearing to him. Often he would take her side if she and Daphne quarrelled and she knew it. It wasn't as if she did not exploit it. She took full advantage of the fact that Harry doted on her. She would often seek a fight when he was around to save her. Also, she loved him like a brother. She had been little when the Greengrass daughters had been introduced to Harry. Since she did not have a brother, she started thinking of him as such. At times, Daphne told her that he was not their brother yet Astoria did not budge in her opinion. Nicholas and Cynthia did not curb it but always encouraged Astoria which infuriated Daphne.

"Pup, now we just have the snake enclosure left", Sirius said.

Harry immediately refused, "Sorry godfather but I am not going in there".

Astoria pouted, "But I want to go in. Please Harry, come with us".

Neville pacified her, "He is a wimp when it comes to snakes, Tori. You can come with me. Hold my hand if you feel scared".

Harry remained in the cafeteria while the others went in. He ordered some food. He got a sandwich and a glass of juice and settled down at a table. He was mid-way through making short work of his sandwich when he noticed that the others were running out. Neville was dragging Daphne out. They were followed by the Weasleys but Sirius and Remus were not with them.

He realized that something was amiss. He abandoned his meal then ran towards Neville shouting, "What happened Neville? Where are the others?"

Neville spoke between gasps, "In the enclosure... boa constrictor. Tori..."

Harry grabbed Neville by his shirt and they ran inside. There was a scary scene inside the enclosure. Astoria was backed up in a corner and a boa constrictor was stalking her, ready to lunge.

Harry immediately started making some hissing and whispering sounds which made the snake stop. It turned towards Harry and it's eyes spread in surprise. It made the same sounds as Harry however none of them could hear it except him.

When Harry saw that the Boa constrictor was ready to lunge for Tori, he yelled, "_Stop! I command you!_"

The snake turned towards him. When it noticed Harry, it dipped his hood very low to Harry, "_A Speaker? Greetings Speaker._"

Harry was angry, "_What do you think you were doing? You were going to kill a child who is my sister_".

The snake shuddered, "_I seek your forgiveness, speaker. I am ready for whatever punishment you will give me_".

Harry continued saying, "_Go away. Never harm a human again_".

The snake slithered away out of the zoo, saying something about freedom, being honored to meet a speaker.

"You can talk to snakes!", shrieked a zoo-keeper however Harry noticed that no one else seemed to have heard him. He was confused for a moment before he saw Sirius subtly slipping his wand in his sleeve.

Before the man could say more, his eyes rolled back in his head and he had a dreamy expression on his face. Remus however was herding them out, "Come on you lot. Let's go back now. It is getting late".

With that they all returned to the Black Townhouse where Arcturus noticed from the expressions on their faces that something was amiss. He asked, "What happened?"

Sirius who had not spoken during the whole journey turned to Harry, "Exactly when were you going to tell me that you are a parsel mouth, Prongslet?"

Arcturus remained impassive while the students waited for him to speak. Susan decided to break the silence, "Are you a parsel mouth, Harry?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, I am a parsel mouth. Is that a bad thing in your book?"

Susan shook her head, "Not at all, Harry. It is in our blood, a gift of magic. It is just that you-know-who could also speak to snakes so some idiots may start being suspicious".

Harry turned to the others, "Does anyone else have any problem with it or think that it is a trait of dark wizards?"

Almost nobody spoke. The silence was finally broken by Percy, "These things do not really matter, Harry. You have a gift. You should be glad of it. There is nothing more to it".

Harry was watching everyone's face. No one looked like they were going to hate him for it. However he noticed that Daphne was frowning. He asked her, "What is wrong, Daph?"

She said tersely, "You are a parsel mouth yet you never told me in all these years of our friendship. Why? I suppose that was the reason that you did not want to go to the snake enclosure?" She then turned to Neville, "A wimp? Isn't that what you had said? You too knew this yet you never told me?"

Neville had the audacity to grin, "Of course I know. We had decided to never tell others. Now my minion here will tell the rest of the story."

"Oi mate, didn't we agree that you would be the minion when it comes to Daphne?", Harry protested.

Neville smirked, "There are many fine people here and not just her, so today, you will be the minion".

Daphne glared at them evilly before turning to Sirius, "These two always do this, talking among themselves to infuriate me".

Sirius addressed Harry and Neville, grinning, "I want you two to get one thing straight, you are both minions when in the presence of the marauders. Now start speaking".

Harry shrugged then turned to Sirius, "About 4 years ago, Neville was visiting our other residence where I was living at the time. As you well know, there are some well kept greenhouses at that place. Mr. Green thumb here wanted to work in them. So one day while we were dealing with Dragon dung, a snake slithered into the green house".

Harry kept silent for a moment to see who would snap first. Daphne did not disappoint him. She snapped, "Get on with it".

Harry grinned then continued, "The snake was about to bite him when I do not know how but I started talking to it".

Sirius encouraged him, "go on, we are listening".

Harry kept speaking, "I asked it to stop. The snake turned to me. It quivered saying, 'speaker'. I asked him what that meant. It told me that I had the ability to talk to snakes. It also said that it was in my blood. That I had the scent of people of old in me.

We were both a bit freaked out by the incident and we decided that we would never bring it up again. It so happened that I came across snakes a lot more times after that. The snake I met the first time used to return often just to talk to me. Once I asked him why he was spending so much time around me, it told me that it enjoyed my company. It also told me that any snakes I met would be compelled to do as I bid them except may be Basilisks. I learned to be able to control this ability later. Now I can speak it of my own volition however I do not think I can speak it in the absence of a snake".

Sirius heard everything then turned to Remus, "Did you know about it?"

Remus shook his head, "That is a secret he kept even from me. I never would have thought so".

Arcturus however was smiling, "I knew about it. I walked in on them talking to a snake about 3 years ago. I understood what was going on".

Sirius asked Arcturus, "Where did he get this ability?"

Arcturus growled, "He's the first Black in over 200 years to be a parsel mouth. Our idiot ancestors almost bred out most of our gifts by inter-marrying".

Arcturus then turned to the others, "I will appreciate it if you all can keep this to yourselves. This is something looked upon with scorn in much of the Wizarding World. Unless there is some emergency, I do not want anyone of you to speak about it".

They nodded in agreement. There was still one thing which confused Harry. He turned to Sirius, "The zoo-keeper saw me talking to snakes. I don't think that anyone heard him when he shouted at me about it. Was I dreaming or did that really happen?"

Sirius was grinning, "I shot a spell at him so no one else around could hear him. Also, Moony obliviated his memory of the event so that he cannot ever talk about it".

Of course no one was about to go talking about this anymore. Harry had become their best friend in the last few months. Besides most of them were allies. They would not go around telling other's secrets.

**A day in Diagon **

The next day, they planned a trip to Diagon Alley. Neville had come along with them telling them that Augusta had given him a pouch of Galleons, telling him to shop for Yule. Sirius had asked him to check with his other friends to see if they were amenable to come along. As it turned out, Daphne and Astoria were going to their Grand-parents for the rest of the holidays. Susan was going shopping with Hannah's parents. So it was just Harry, Neville and the Weasleys. Or so he thought. When it came right down to it, the Weasleys did not want to go shopping. Harry was confused until he realized that it was likely because they had little or no money. The Weasleys were a very proud bunch who would not take money from anyone no matter what.

Sirius had convinced them to come along, telling them that if they did not want to shop they could at least take a walk in the alley. When they were about to floo, Percy turned to Sirius, "Mr. Black, would it be okay if I remained behind?"

Arcturus chided him, "You can talk to me later, Percy. We will have plenty of time together later. For now go, enjoy the day".

This time Sirius decided that it was time they stopped hiding Harry. If he were to apply glamour every time, he might as well get a mask made for himself. Sirius went first, followed by the others.

When Harry exited in the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius was already talking to Tom. Not thinking twice, he walked up to Sirius tugging at his arm, "Sirius, we need to go".

Sirius who was still talking to Tom said, "Tom, I presume that you already know Harry here".

Tom saw him. He blinked several times to make sure that he was not dreaming. Then he exclaimed loudly, "Merlin's Beard! Harry Potter-Black in the Leaky Cauldron!"

Almost everything went silent at once. Harry mentally sighed. Tom the bar-keep ran out from behind the bar, bowing low to him. He started to kiss his hand saying, "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Potter-Black.".

With his proclamation, there was a rustling of chairs among the patrons of the bar to rush to him and greet him. So many people came to shake his hand or to bow to him that Harry lost count. A few of them even told him that they fondly remembered his parents who were the heroes to have stood up to you-know-who. Harry was inwardly glad for them to have said so. It felt like a small piece of recognition was being given to them.

After about 10 minutes and a butterbeer each, they all walked out towards the Alley. He had asked Daphne too but she told them that she was going to her Grand-parents' the next day. As such, she was busy packing. Harry noticed that Percy kept sticking with Remus, talking to him. Remus was humouring him, answering his queries patiently. Sirius was telling them of his exploits as a child when he used to visit the alley as a student.

"There was one time when I and James were trying to get into Flourish and Blotts but the shop was packed so we could not get in. James, who had just restocked our supply of Stink Pellets and Dung bombs, let loose a few of them in the shop. Presto! The shop was empty in a minute", he finished. When he looked at the twins looking at him in fascination, he added as an afterthought, "I would advise you both against it however because I was visiting the shop with Great Aunt Dorea and Lord Potter. They doted on the two of us. I do not know about how your parents would react".

Percy had taken off to one side in the Alley towards a book shop. Remus followed him. Sirius shouted over to him to meet them in an hour in Florean's cafe.

Sirius led them into Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. It was a joke shop full of a wide assortment of joke items which fascinated the twins. Even Harry was in awe of it. He could not visit the first time because Arcturus was there with them. This time, he intended to stockpile their products. The man behind the counter had a white beard and moustache. He cheerfully waved to Sirius yelling, "Sirius Black! The Marauder extra-ordinaire in person in my quaint humble little joke shop, bringing me even more patrons! Oh this is my lucky day".

The twins were startled. They turned to Sirius, "Do you know him?".

Sirius was guffawing, "What? You claim to be the legacy of the Marauders and you don't assume that we already know every joke shop owner in wizarding Britain? Of course I know him. We were his most favourite patrons once upon a time".

Sirius introduced him to them, "Everyone this is Mr. Gambol of the famous duo of Gambol and Japes. Mr. Gambol, allow me to introduce you to Hadrian Potter-Black, Neville Longbottom, Gred and Forge Weasley (they snickered) and Ronald Weasley.".

The old man was scrutinizing each of them closely before he started speaking, "Of course I know these two (the twins) who aspire to become pranksters themselves. They have been coming here for neigh on 4 years now. I remember how they fell out of my floo near 4 years ago when they were visiting to buy stink pellets from me". He turned to Harry, "I have heard about you lad that you are the next generation of pranksters with this one (he pointed towards Neville). While I knew your father well, his father never visited this shop even for a look around". He turned to Neville, "I would like it if you would continue giving your patronage to Gambol and Japes." He finally turned to Ron, "It is never too late to start pranking people, young master".

After stocking up on things that they wanted from Gambol and Japes, the party made its exit but they could not go far because Percy was next door in Obscurus Books with Remus. Remus was telling him something. When they made their way in, they could hear Remus speaking, "It's too early for you to start thinking so far into the future, Percy. When you are done with your OWLs come and find me. I'll start guiding you towards the most suitable job for you".

"Are you trying to convert his faith and make him a Marauder, Moony?", Sirius asked jovially.

Since the rest of them had no books to buy, they made their exit while Remus lingered behind to buy some books. Sirius took them methodically through every shop discussing every fine point about each place with them. He also encouraged them to look for themselves. Harry found it curious that any place where they showed a slight interest in something, Remus stayed behind to finish some errand at that place.

Quality Quidditch Supplies was next favourite shop for them. It was a shop which sold brooms and all other Quidditch related paraphernalia such as Keeper's Armour, beater's bats etc. They all stopped to appreciate the Nimbus on display then moved on. Harry noticed Ron giving a longing look to the Chudley Cannon's fleece jacket which had just arrived. Out of Ron's hearing, he made a request to Remus who disappeared for some time before joining them in Fortescue's.

Florean Fortescue ran an ice-cream shop where he served ice-cream in such rich variety that it simply boggled the mind. There were at least 10 different kinds of ice-cream he served and every one of them was delicious. However since it was the middle of winter, they chose to forego the ice-cream in favour of hot Chocolate. They had enjoyed their day out. It was a lot more fun and educational than being cooped up in the Black townhouse.

**Ministry of Magic**

While Harry and his friends were in Diagon Alley enjoying the day, Arcturus Black was in the Ministry of Magic. As he wished to see Minister Bones, her secretary led him in without an appointment. Perhaps she knew what happened when one ignored Arcturus Orion Black.

"Minister, Lord Black is here to see you", she announced.

"Send him in, Evanna", replied Amelia.

When Arcturus entered, she rose from her seat. She offered a chair to him, "Please take a seat, Lord Black."

When he had made himself comfortable, she asked him, "What can I do for you?"

He asked her, "Did you conduct an investigation on Barty Crouch Senior? He was also responsible for sending Sirius to Azkaban without a trial".

She shook her head, "Lord Black, I had him investigated under Veritaserum about your grand-son's illegal incarceration. In fact he insisted that I use the serum on him. It came to my knowledge that he was busy with his wife's illness at that time. The tribunal sent him orders to sign to ship Sirius Black to Azkaban directly because he was said to be the Potters' secret keeper. There was also the issue of Peter Pettigrew's alleged death and the killing of 12 muggles besides. There was little to no evidence to the contrary. His son's complicity in the Longbottom's torture incident was also coming to light at that time so he was emotionally and mentally spent. He trusted that the Minister and the Head of Aurors would have made a proper investigation before they condemned Sirius to Azkaban. After the veritaserum test, there was nothing that could be used against him in respect of Sirius's illegal incarceration".

Arcturus sighed, "If he is innocent in the whole affair then I am glad about it. As it is, he is the last descendant of my sister Charis. She would not have been too happy that he had acted towards imprisoning his own cousin without due process".

Amelia did not say anything. However she felt Arcturus had not come to simply ask after Barty Crouch Senior. She kept waiting for him to speak. He eventually started speaking after a few moments, "Amelia, I want your help with something in the Wizengamot".

**Why do we fight?**

When they gathered for dinner that night, there were a few more pranks waiting for them. This time the target was Sirius. Perhaps being a marauder, he had thought himself to be beyond reproach. His illusions however were shattered as he took a seat and immediately he was glued to the chair he was sitting in. Someone petrified him a moment after his petrification.

Moony noticed that Sirius was looking like he was crafted out of stone. He called him a few times before he realized that Sirius was not even moving a finger. Looking into his eyes, he realized that someone had petrified his friend. He whipped his wand out and freed him. Then he turned to the others, "Who among you petrified him?"

The twins raised their hands in surrender, "We didn't do it. May be Harry did".

Remus turned his glare on Harry who was looking befuddled. He obviously had not done it. A prank was the last thing on his mind at the dinner table.

He shook his head, "if I was going to do it, I would have already done it".

Remus then turned to Percy but did not ask him a question. Perhaps he too realized that asking anything of Percy was futile since he was perhaps the last person who would joke with someone.

Lord Black attracted their attention towards him, "How was your day, you kids? Did you all enjoy it?"

During the two course meal, chatter turned towards something Harry had been thinking. He asked Arcturus, "Grand-uncle, why do Slytherins and Gryffindors fight?"

Sirius snorted while Arcturus looked thoughtful at his question. He took some moments to ponder, to collect his thoughts before he started speaking, "I do not know much about it, lad. What I know for certain is that at some time in the distant past, these two houses held a great fondness for each other since they all possessed similar qualities. Something happened which has not been documented anywhere. Things got sour between the two houses".

Harry whistled, "So we are carrying a grudge, the reason for which is lost in antiquity. We just do it because it is some sort of misguided tradition?"

Sirius nodded, "Exactly. I tried to find the answer to this question but came up with nothing."

Harry nodded before he started speaking again, "In all this time, has no one ever tried to change the order of things?"

Arcturus shook his head, "A few people have tried at times but barring a few, none of them were successful. Add to that the propensity of Slytherin students rallying in support of the reigning Dark lord. That just widened the gap between them and the other three houses. However, when we are out of school, these differences tend to blur. We mingle freely".

Harry did not say anything more on the subject. He was thinking about something. He needed the Slytherins on his side. His current way of treating them would not get him what he desired.

**Christmas**

Christmas was not celebrated in the House of Black in the usual way. They celebrated Yule but Lord Black had allowed one concession. There were gifts for everyone for Christmas morning.

Harry woke up to a massive black dog licking his face. He muttered 'gross' before rolling the dog from his bed. Sirius who had transformed was mock glaring at him, "What was that, pup?"

Harry was grinning, "Fun". He ran to the bathroom before Sirius could retort. Sirius told him to come down as soon as he could manage, that if he failed to come down soon, Sirius would open Harry's presents for himself.

Harry appeared in the meeting room within 10 minutes where a large pile had been set aside for him. The first gift that he opened was from Arcturus. Like always, the old wizard gave him a gift which mesmerized him. This time, he had gifted him a very old book which had a snake on its cover. It was titled, "The language of Snakes." It was a book which had been in the Black library for generations. It had not been used for the last two centuries. Arcturus had brought it out after the conversation at the dinner table last evening. It was only right that Harry learned to use the gift he had previously scorned because others did not approve of it.

Sirius gave him a lot of gifts. There was a special pack of goodies from Gambol and Japes for him. There was also a set of Quidditch robes in Gryffindor colors with the arm guards and a broom-stick servicing kit. Remus gifted him an album containing all the photos which he had taken since he boarded the Hogwarts Express except for the photos which had the rat in them, of course. Ron gave him a slab of Honeydukes chocolate. Hermione sent him a packet of box of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans. Susan sent him a book titled 'Which Broomstick' which gave a detailed description about every broom available on the market. Ernie sent him a stack of packs of Chocolate Frog Cards. Justin sent him some chocolates which his father had bought for him while abroad. Hannah sent him a packet of chocolates. Hagrid sent him a flute. Isobel sent him a book on stories about famous Wizarding personalities. There was another package in the pile of gifts which surprised him. It had no name whatsoever on it. He turned to Sirius, "Sirius, who sent it?"

Ron, who was sitting at the table, opening his own considerably shorter pile, as his ears turned red, muttered, "I think I know who sent it. I wrote a letter to mother about how we are friends and all. I think that she sent it".

Harry opened the package. True enough, there was a maroon, hand-knitted jumper in it with a golden snitch worked into the front of it. The twins whistled. George said, "Harry got a Weasley jumper too".

Fred who was touching it, checking the quality of the work and the thickness of it said, "His is better than ours".

George said, "Yeah, she really makes an effort if you are not family".

Harry sent his gifts in advance to them. He could not give a gift to Arcturus because Lord Black had once said that since everything he owned was Harry's anyway, there was no sense in it. He had given a bracelet to Sirius which he had purchased in Hogsmeade since he just could not give him a bottle of mead again. As was tradition, he gave a massive gift hamper of Honeydukes ready for Remus. To Susan, he sent a little silver chain, the same for Hannah, a packet of finest Honeydukes chocolates for Justin, the Chudley Cannons Fleece Jacket for Ron, a book about the traditions of Wizarding world to Hermione and a pair of silver ear-rings for Isobel. He also sent a ticket to Hagrid which would get him entry into the Dragon Reserve in Wales where he could see the Welsh Green Dragon to his heart's content. He knew that Hagrid secretly harboured hopes of having a dragon of his own someday.

"Thanks Harry", Ron said as he was inspecting the Fleece Jacket which Harry had gifted to him. He knew Ron's favourite team was the Chudley Cannons. It would have been the best gift for him.

He however had not sent any gifts to Neville or Daphne yet. They had made a pact among themselves to not confine them to gift buying only for birthdays or certain days in a year. They could ask anything of the other anytime they wished. Also, Harry preferred to ask what they wished for before he bought anything for them. As for Astoria, he always gave her gifts in person rather than sending them through owls. Since she was visiting her grand-parents, he had not sent anything.

They spent the day around the fireplace enjoying their gifts, toasting and eating marshmallows. They also talked about the coming year, about the homework which needed to be completed before holidays ended. Arcturus told Harry to finish his homework by Yule, then repeated the same for other children in the house. Since Harry obeyed him at once, they too followed suit.

**Let's fly**

That night, Sirius crept into his room. He woke Harry up silently. When he woke up, Sirius motioned for him to follow him downstairs. Silently they walked in the garden where there were a few sheds for keeping horses, if they had any. In one of the sheds was parked a classic motor cycle with a side-car. Harry was instantly awake when he saw the motorcycle. It took a while for him to find the words to express his surprise and wonder, "Is. Is that dad's motorcycle? I – I used to have dreams about flying on a motorcycle".

Sirius was offended, "Prongslet, this is my motorcycle. James and I pooled our money to buy this but I did the enchantments to it".

Harry looked at him quizzically, "If you are so good at enchanting, why did you join the Aurors?"

Sirius said matter-of-factly, "The conditions at that time were such that it was more important for me to stand up to the tyrant who was a threat to us than to indulge myself in enchanting. Now that I'm free maybe I can take it up as a vocation."

Harry asked him "That's all well and fine, Sirius but what are we doing out here? I mean it's snowing, for Merlin's sake."

Sirius grinned, "We're going for a ride, Prongslet".

So they went for a ride in the middle of the night. They spent almost three hours out of the house, flying through the skies. Sirius had the presence of mind to put a warming charm on Harry but even with that, Harry felt chilled to the bone by the time that they finally returned.

He ambled up to his bed, where he promptly crashed, dreaming of flying on a motorcycle then racing against it on a broom.

**Yule**

The next day was Yule. Arcturus asked Harry and his friends to go out and enjoy themselves as much as they could. Since they knew nothing in muggle London, they decided to go to the Three Broomsticks. Harry had already called Neville on the floo to join him there. There were Yule celebrations in the Black household but they would not be until evening that day so the day was free for them. Percy however chose to stay back saying that he wanted some more of Arcturus's wisdom.

Arcturus recognized the boy for who he was. While Percy was sorted to Gryffindor, he was the most Slytherin like Weasley to have ever existed. Sometimes Arcturus could see a lot of Cedrella in him. Somehow, Arcturus could see that Percy was different than any other Slytherin though. While he had dreams for himself, he was certainly ambitious with an instinct for self-preservation, yet he cared for his family, something which Cedrella did when she chose Septimus Weasley over the House of Black.

**Hogsmeade**

The children had no definite plans for the rest of the day. They had a day to do with as they pleased. The twins went to visit Zonko's while the trio of Neville, Harry and Ron visited different shops.

When they were in Honeydukes, Harry asked Ron, "Haven't you visited the village before today?"

Ron replied off-handedly, "Mother never allowed us to. She told us that we can come in third year. I have heard loads about the village from Bill, Charlie and Percy though".

He and Neville decided to not let him know that they had visited the village already. It was perfectly innocuous for them to visit the village by sneaking out of the castle and Ron would have insisted that they should have brought him with them.

They spent the day looking in various shops for things which could be useful to them in a prank. They intended to create more havoc in the coming term. They had barely done anything in the last term that could be called a grand spectacle.

When it was 3:00 in the afternoon, they (he and Ron) returned to Grimmauld Place to get ready for the celebration that evening.


	13. Chapter 13

**London**

Andromeda Tonks had just arrived in her office to begin her day when she found an owl pecking on the window to her office. It was an owl as black as the night with amber eyes and a cruel looking beak. Andromeda's breath hitched in her throat when she recognized it. She knew that this particular species of owl was especially bred in the Black Castle (though she could not remember the location of the castle). This was usually used by the Lord of the House when he was writing a letter and acting in that capacity.

She had been ousted from the Black family about 20 years ago. Never once in the last two decades had she received so much as a scrap of parchment from Arcturus Orion Black. She mused over what he could possibly want from her now. They were already ousted from the family. Not even once in the last two decades had she heard from her parents or her sisters. True she saw Narcissa at some social events but the look of disdain that Narcissa gave her was sufficient to tell her that her sister had no love lost for her.

The owl tapped again. She flicked her wand, opening the window inwards. When the owl landed on her table, she got a better look at it. The slight silver and green tint at the edge of its wings was unique to the owls bred by the House of Black. There was no doubt now that Arcturus was writing to her. Curiously she freed the owl of his burden offering it an owl treat. The owl took off not waiting for a reply. With trembling hands, she opened the letter. It read:

_"Dear Andromeda_

_I suppose that you are wondering why I am writing to you after two decades of silence. But two decades is too long to wait. Neither have I received a letter from you in all this time. Until recently, I have been away so I could not write to you either. I am writing to you to end this long silence._

_I know that I have no authority to order you to do anything. I am inviting you and your family to join House Black in Yule celebrations this evening at the Townhouse at Grimmauld Place. I am sure you remember where it is. _

_Arcturus Orion Black_

_Lord of House Black."_

The letter was in the slant cursive handwriting of her grand-father. He had taken the trouble of writing to her after almost 20 years. In his usual terse manner, he did not even bother telling her the purpose of this visit. He simply invited her. Still, it would not be amiss to accept his invitation for once.

She had loved her family when she was little. Despite their anti-muggle attitude, she loved all of them and was not budged even by their pureblood tripe. When she left her family home to marry her husband, she had not thought about going back to them. The mannerisms of being a Black had never left her though and her deportment reflected in everything she did. She was still a Black in her heart even if not in name.

She also used to look fondly upon Arcturus Orion Black who was a model figure to her. He was the perfect father, perfect husband and the loving grand-father who she thought would not abandon her. When she left her home, she thought that he would call for her, that he would not let others banish her from the family. It stung when he did nothing of the sort and let her mother get away with it. Maybe, she could at least ask the questions that she wanted to after all these years. There was a little hope in her that maybe he would reinstate her into the family. Somewhere in a corner of her heart, she still yearned to be recognized as a Black.

She would have to get Nymphadora to agree to it though and that might be an uphill battle. Nymphadora was her father's daughter. That meant she would have to ask Ted first. If he agreed, Nymphadora would definitely agree to follow them.

She found Ted in his office busy reading a file. "Ted", she called.

He raised his head and gave a smile to her, "Yes love?"

She showed the letter to him. He read the letter then mulled over it for a few minutes before he asked her, "What should we do about it?"

She hesitantly said, "I want to go. I know it may be bad but I just have to ask some questions of him."

He quietly hugged her, "I will follow you anywhere Dromeda."

She quietly said, "Umm... what do we tell Nymphadora though? He has asked me to bring her with us."

He nodded, "Well, she will just have to put her grudges aside for once today."

Nymphadora Tonks their daughter was a metamorphmagus. A metamorphmagus is one who can change their appearance with a thought and they are very rare. It is a skill which cannot be acquired but one is born with it. One of the biggest drawbacks of this ability was that the metamorph could never keep their balance and tended to trip over nothing. In other words, they were most clumsy.

It was a gift of the Black family but it had not manifested for about 300 years now. She was the first Black to be born with the ability in quite a while but she did not know that. For her, the Blacks were a subject of scorn except for Sirius. She could only remember scattered glimpses of him coming to their house and bringing Honeydukes chocolates for her when she was little.

When Ted floo called to his home and asked her to come with them to the Black Townhouse, she was initially reluctant but agreed when Andromeda assured her that she would not do something which was not agreeable to her. Nymphadora knew her mother still yearned in her heart to return to her house at times. She could be amenable to her wishes for a little while.

**Return of the daughter**

They arrived in the entrance chamber of the Townhouse where Arcturus and Sirius were waiting for them. The children were away for the day. There were just the three of them. Remus was working on something in his room.

Arcturus beamed at Andromeda, "Andy, welcome home."

She tried to show courtesy to him but he was having none of it. He lightly hugged her and kissed the top of her forehead. Andromeda thought she saw a tear in the old wizard's eye but the next moment she felt she must have imagined it because his eyes were quite dry.

Nymphadora was the next to come. She tripped over something which he could not see. She didn't even try to show courtesy to him. It did not go unnoticed by him but other than a look to Andromeda, nothing was said. Andromeda was inwardly embarrassed. She knew she should have taught her daughter the basic manners of the pureblood families but she had forgotten about it over the years.

He jovially addressed her, "So you are Nymphadora. I am your great grand-father Arcturus Black."

She said through gritted teeth, "Do not call me Nymphadora."

Sirius snickered. Before he could say anything, the floo roared for the third time. Ted Tonks stepped out. He was about to extend a hand to Arcturus to shake his hand but Andromeda stepped in before he could do so. She said, "Grand-father, this is my husband, Edward Tonks." She turned to Ted, "Edward, this is my grand-father Lord Arcturus Orion Black."

Edward extended his hand to him, "Mr. Black, it is a pleasure to meet you finally. Please call me Ted."

Arcturus was amused. It reflected in his words, "You can call me Lord Black or Grand-father if you wish to."

Sirius in the meanwhile had hugged Andromeda joyfully, "Andy, I could swear that you are getting younger every day. You have not changed a bit."

She rolled her eyes, "Could not resist complimenting me still, Sirius? I see Azkaban failed to dent your humour."

Sirius said in a mock sigh of relief, "Finally someone appreciates my humour. I was starting to have self-doubts with everyone taking a shot at my humour."

"She just doesn't want to tell you the harsh truth, Padfoot. Your humour is indeed lame", said Moony who had just entered the entrance chamber, "As I remember, she was always kind to you.".

Andromeda was surprised, "Remus Lupin! Where have you been hiding all these years?"

Arcturus said, "Would you have all of your questions answered here? Come now."

Sirius led them to the meeting room. On the way, she took in the house. She was surprised with all the changes that had been made to it. She could not see a trace of her former home in this new remodelled house. Even the wall with the heads of the dead house elves was gone. The old gas lights were replaced with new ever burning torches. The chandelier looked grand and better than the last one. The staircase which led upwards was wider now than it used to be. She could not see the kitchen but she thought it would have been similarly remodelled. The house shone as compared to the dark eerie appearance which used to pervade it earlier.

He offered seats to them at the table in the meeting room. When they were seated, Arcturus turned to her, "I suppose that you have a lot of questions for me. Can you contain your curiosity long enough to partake of some refreshments first?"

He snapped his fingers. With a crack, Kreacher appeared holding trays of food. He placed them on the table before them. With a quick bow and a hesitant smile (atleast that is what it looked like) to Andromeda, he disappeared.

After they were all done with refreshments, he turned to her again, "Ask your questions but I pray you to ask them one by one."

She took a deep breath and thought about questions she had to ask. She decided to start with the one which had nagged at her all these years, "Why did you not send me a letter before today?"

Arcturus sighed, "That is my mistake, Andromeda. When you left the house, I was not here but in France with Melania. I had given freedom to my children to take their decision for themselves. I trusted them to do what they thought was best for them. When I knew that you had walked out of the family, I did not try to contact you because I did not want to cause a disturbance in my family. As it is, most of them had already pledged to fight for Voldemort (the Tonks' shuddered). I feared for your safety and that of your husband if I tried to bring you back."

She nodded, "You thought that my parents and my sisters would be able to walk all over me? The same blood flows in my veins, grand-father. However that's all water under the bridge now. My second question is why was I banished from the family?"

Arcturus said, "As a matter of fact, you were never banished, Andy. Druella had come to me with the request to banish you from the family but I told her, in no uncertain terms, that I would not do this. It was not in her power to do it without my authority."

She was surprised to say the least, "But I thought you had banished me from the family tree."

Arcturus smirked, "Did you ever get a decree from Gringotts telling you that your trust vault is taken back by the family? In fact, Ripfang told me that you had withdrawn all the money in your trust vault a week after you had left the family. I told him to refill the vault and allow you to withdraw as much as you like. I did not close your trust vault until two years had passed and you never made another withdrawal."

She asked him, "When you were doing so much for me, why did you not at least send a message to me or come find me?"

He sighed, "I wanted to but by then Bellatrix had pledged her loyalty to Voldemort and Narcissa was slated to marry Malfoy. I wanted to reach out to you but the House of Black was descending into the dark. They would not tolerate muggle born under their roof. I feared for the safety of Edward and you. Sure, you are a Black but he had too many followers with him. I could not risk it."

She did not say anything for some time while she pondered over his words. His reasons made sense to her yet she felt kind of disappointed. She also had not tried to send an owl to him. She had simply assumed that Arcturus endorsed their actions. There were still a few questions to be answered though. She asked him, "Why come back now? Why ask me if I would like to be a part of the family?"

Rather than giving a straight answer, he asked her, "Why do we do things we do for people we love?" He then proceeded to answer her question, "I want my family to stay together. We have lived apart for far too long. I want them to be together. I do not ask anything of you but to tell you that you are a part of the family as you always have been."

She asked the next question, "What have you done with the house? I mean I am pleasantly surprised with the changes you have brought to this place but I kind of expected to find myself in the place where I grew up."

He chuckled, "That would be Harry's doing. He said that he did not like the feel of the place that it looked like a house of dark wizards."

She raised an eyebrow, "Harry who?"

Arcturus said amused, "Do you mean to say that you do not know that Hadrian Potter-Black is my heir."

She remembered then, "Oh right. I remember reading that the House of Black had raised him. But I dismissed it as just more of the sensational lies that The Daily Prophet publishes."

He smirked, "In this case, that rag was telling the truth. He is my ward. Remus here helped me raise him since he was a wee lad about 3 years old. Cassiopeia doted on the boy and taught him all the mannerisms expected of heirs of houses."

She looked around the room and asked him, "So, where is he? What does he look like?"

Sirius answered this time, "He is visiting Hogsmeade today with the Weasley children. They are our guests for the winter holidays. He looks a lot like James except that he has Lily's eyes. He seems to have the best characteristics of both of them."

Andromeda remembered something she had on her mind lately, "Sirius, I had been meaning to write to you since you were exonerated but I could not gather the courage to do so. When you were arrested for betraying James and Lily and killing Pettigrew with those muggles, I accepted the fact like everyone else. I never stopped to think that you would have died for James, if the need be. I want to apologize for thinking so."

He waved her off, "Andy, it is all in the past now. I have no qualms. There is nothing to apologize for. Peter was even able to hoodwink Dumbledore and we are but ordinary when compared to him."

**Hogwarts**

Voldemort was having a hard time. He of course had not yet been able to find a way past the beast. Since the winter holidays had started, Severus had been more alert. He kept a watchful eye on his movements. He could outduel Severus but then it would have come out into the open that he had been possessing Quirrell.

The possession was a different issue altogether. It took a lot out of him. At times, it even threatened his meagre existence. To keep his vitality and vigour intact, he would have to find some way other than the stone to stay alive long enough to obtain the Philosopher's Stone. With the stone, he could create a body for himself. Then, with the elixir of life, he could be immortal.

If Severus helped him, he could get his wish sooner but he was not yet sure of Severus's loyalties. He had been loyal when Voldemort was in a body but now he could just as easily hand him over to the ministry. Then his secret would be out. Everyone would know that he was possessing Quirrell. No, he would obtain a body before he showed himself to anyone else.

In the meanwhile, he was looking for an alternative to the elixir of life, something that could grant him a life even if it was a cursed one. He was sitting in the library poring over the books which were deemed dark and out of bounds for the students. However as he was possessing the Defense teacher at the moment, inspecting those books would not be taken amiss by anyone, not even the old fool.

He picked up a book titled '_The curse of half-life._" It was an obscure book which he had not found in the library ever before. May be the magic of the castle was assisting him to find something to help him. He had once heard Dumbledore say something of the sort "Help is given at Hogwarts to those who need it." Maybe it was true, after all.

He also wanted to get his Horcrux out of the Room of Hidden things but Snape always kept an eye on him. His going into a place where he was not needed at all would look suspicious. His secret could be out in the open. Besides it was safe where it was for now. There was no one who could know about the room except him so it would still be safe there.

He took a table and started to read the book. Maybe it could help him out of his predicament.

**Black Townhouse**

When the children returned to the Black Townhouse, it was full of people. In the meeting room, Arcturus was sitting with three more people that Harry had never seen before. One was a woman who had a royal air about her which was common for the Blacks. Harry guessed she was a daughter of the house. A pot-bellied jovial man was sitting on the other side of her. He looked slightly bewildered as if he had no idea what he was doing here. The third was a young lady with bubble gum pink hair. She resembled the woman beside her in appearance.

"Hadrian, come here", called Arcturus.

Harry knew he had to be at the best of his manners. Arcturus never addressed him as Hadrian unless it was important. When he approached the table, the woman stood from her place and beamed at him, "Harry! You look just like James."

Harry instantly understood that the woman knew his father since it was the usual reaction of anyone who knew his parents but he did not know this woman. He had a fair idea that she was a Black but other than that his mind was blank. He knew of no other Blacks who were alive on the family tree.

Remembering the manners drilled into him by Cassiopeia, he approached the woman, gave her an elaborate bow and pretended to kiss her knuckles saying, "Hadrian Potter-Black at your service."

She grumbled, "I can see Aunt Cassiopeia made you as immaculate as she could."

Next, he approached the man. He gave a slight tilt of his head since that was what he was supposed to do for those he did not know and shook hands with him. He gave a bow to the girl but did not pretend to kiss her knuckles as he had done with the woman.

Arcturus introduced them, "Harry, these are Andromeda Tonks, her husband Theodore Tonks and their daughter Nymphadora Tonks."

The girl said through gritted teeth, "Don't call me Nymphadora."

Harry inwardly chuckled. If she was opposed to being called Nymphadora and protested every time then Arcturus would do exactly that. He liked to get a rise out of people that way.

He also recognized Andromeda when Arcturus told him. She had married a muggle born, defying the wishes of her parents for her marriage to a son of the Rosier family. He had been killed in the last war at the hands of Alastor Moody. Harry had always thought that she had made the correct choice in that respect. Her presence in the Townhouse could only mean that Arcturus had again admitted her into the family.

"Grandfather has been telling me about you, Harry", Andromeda was saying, "I knew James when he was little. Aunt Dorea used to invite me over to her house so often that I have seen James in the crib and even baby sat him."

Harry smiled, "Thank you for telling me this, Aunt Andromeda. I am always eager to hear about my parents."

She waved her hand as if it was nothing, "You can always come over and I will tell you about your grand-parents too. They were my favourite."

The floo roared at that moment. Augusta Longbottom stepped out followed by Neville. Andromeda greeted her warmly, "Hello Augusta. It has been a long time."

Augusta replied warmly, "Indeed and it is a pleasure to see you back in the House of Black."

The floo roared again. This time, Ernie came through. Harry had invited him and since he was back, he had come to visit. Shortly after him, Susan Bones came too with Amelia Bones however Hannah Abbott was staying back with her family.

When Susan had joined him at the table, Arcturus asked him, "Lad, are there any more of your friends to come through?"

Harry shook his head, "Not this time, grand uncle. The rest of them had prior commitments."

With that, Arcturus led all of them into the garden. When they emerged from the townhouse, there was a pine log already burning surrounded by rugs and blankets laid on the ground for all of them.

After they were all seated and refreshments were served to them, Arcturus stood to address the gathering, "Today is Yule, an occasion where we give thanks for a good year which has passed while we hope for a good year ahead. I assume that most of you are conversant with the rituals. I will review for the uninitiated. There are parchments and quills here. We each take a piece of parchment and write about the things for which we are thankful from the past year. Then we drop these parchment pieces into the fire. Then we write about our hopes for the coming year on another piece of parchment while we nibble on some bread. After we are done writing that, we drop those pieces of parchment into the fire and retreat."

Every one took a piece of parchment and wrote things they felt thankful for. Harry was thankful for his god father being free, Arcturus being there for him as he had always been since he was rescued from the muggles, for the friends who were there for him, for the new friends who always supported him.

Once every one was done writing, they proceeded to drop those pieces of parchment in the fire before they sat down to write what they expected of the coming year.

After they were done, they proceeded inside to enjoy a feast which rivalled the Halloween feast. During the feast, Susan sat on one side of him with Ernie on her other side. He engaged her in conversation, "How are your holidays?"

She replied, "Terrible. Auntie barely has time for me with her duties as the Minister of Magic however I try not to complain. She has been trying to give me as much time as she could."

He asked Ernie, "Where were you?"

Ernie answered, "We were at my grand-parents' but I was terribly bored with nothing to do. Also I missed my friends so here I am."

Susan asked him, "What are your plans for the rest of the holidays?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I think that we'll remain here and return to Hogwarts when it's time."

After dinner, most of them went home. The Black Family sat for a reunion around the fire in the fireplace with butterbeer for the children and mead or fire whiskey for the adults.

Harry noticed that Nymphadora was sticking with butterbeer though. He noticed that she had black hair right now instead of the bubblegum pink he had seen earlier.

He asked her curiously, "Nymphadora, did you apply glamour charms?"

She gritted her teeth, "Don't call me Nymphadora. No, I did not use glamour charms. Why do you ask?"

Harry was smirking, "First off, it's your name so what else can I call you? Secondly, I could swear that I saw you had bubblegum pink hair but now it is black."

She replied, "Yes, I am a metamorphmagus."

He was impressed and that reflected in the tone of his voice, "That's really amazing. You are the first metamorph in the Black family in about 300 years."

She was visibly impressed, "How do you know that?"

He replied off-handedly, "Grand-uncle wanted me to learn all about our family heritage which includes learning about the gifts of magic in our family. I know for a fact that Parsel tongue and Metamorphmagus have been recurring gifts in our family."

He asked her then, "What do you do for a living? I mean you have obviously graduated from Hogwarts."

She started saying, "I graduated just last spring. I have been trying to get into the Aurors."

He asked her curiously, "Why do you want to be an Auror?"

She started telling him enthusiastically, "Actually it was due to Uncle James and Sirius. I mean I was little when they used to come over all the time. They looked striking in their red robes. Plus I was always excited when I heard about their bravery in the newspaper. I became their fan when they stopped an attack on my family when I was six. That was when I decided that I had to become an Auror."

**A prank war**

Just when Harry thought that things would be at peace in the Townhouse, they escalated. The twins who had been pranked too many times by Sirius finally decided to give as good as they got.

One day as Sirius woke up and opened the door to his room, he was smacked in the face by a bag that nearly knocked him over backwards.

As he was wincing, trying to shake the stars out of his vision, the twins appeared and grinned at him, "It's on!"

They had filled a sack with gravel from the back garden. They tied it to a length of heavy twine then fixed the end of the twine to the ceiling outside of Sirius' room with a sticking charm. Finally, they levitated the sack to the ceiling, at the end of the length of twine and stuck it there with another sticking charm. Their preparations made, they lay in wait. When Sirius started to open his door, Fred cast a "Finite" at the sticking charm on the sack. They let gravity and timing do the rest.

The next to be targeted was Moony. When they were sitting in the meeting room one evening, Remus was breaking an enormous slab of Chocolate. The twins were trying to hide their smirks, watching him. Seeing them smirk, Harry was suspicious but before he could do or say anything, Moony gobbled up a large piece of chocolate. In the next second, he was on the floor. A minute later, there were two Sirius Blacks in the meeting room.

Luckily Percy was not there in the meeting room with them. He would have gone berserk trying to figure out where they got their hands on polyjuice potion. A dose of polyjuice potion can change a person to look like another person and it is not taught before NEWTs. It is difficult to brew with the process taking 21 days. Then a hair or a body part has to be added to it before consuming it.

Since it was unlikely that Fred and George could brew the Polyjuice Potion, it was much more likely that they had raided Snape's stores.

Remus was frowning at them, "You two have no creativity. You could have changed Sirius into me."

Sirius was howling with laughter, "You two have turned it up a notch. You will soon have your reckoning lads."

The next time, Remus placed a ward outside the door of their room. The ward would levitate the one who tripped it. Since the twins had no idea about how to detect wards yet, they didn't see it.

When they stepped out of their room, they found themselves to be hovering upside down. Remus was there, smirking at them. He calmly stunned them and placed a disillusionment charm on them so they could not call for help and no one would be able to see them.

The attacks on Arcturus did not cease either. Someone was doing pranks on Lord Black almost every day. Some days, it was rather simple like placing a dungbomb on his chair while at others, the prankster used transfiguration extensively like when they charmed his chair to walk off with him the moment he sat down. Since none of the children could do it yet, the Marauders were the only suspects. Arcturus had to warn them not to do it again.

There had been a very phenomenal prank one morning. Percy when he woke up from his sleep went to the bathroom. As he came out, he was surprised to find his bed-sheet standing before him. Before Percy could understand what was happening, his bed-sheet picked him up in the air. Percy started shouting for help and when the Marauders arrived, none of them could figure out who had done it. All they knew was that they hadn't done it. The twins were the only suspects unless Harry knew how to charm the bed-sheets in such a way which he did not.

Finally Harry had enough and he decided that he needed to do some pranks of his own lest others forget that he was a prankster too. For this purpose, he needed some help because he could not do it by himself. It was some advanced magic and he wanted to avoid detection in the whole situation.

He and Neville conferred with each other and formed a strategy. For the prank, they needed an elf and some enchanted items. They were going to prank the twins and the marauders all at the same time. Since they had been raising hell with their pranks, it was befitting that they were all pranked at the same time. For this, they enlisted the services of Mr. Gambol and Japes. They went to his shop on a visit to Diagon alley.

When he saw them enter, he hailed them cheerfully, "come in young lads. What a bright day indeed to see young people ready to engage in pranks. Now how can I serve you?"

Neville handled the business with him, "Mr. Gambol, we are looking to procure some custom made enchanted items. Would it be possible?"

He grinned eagerly, "If the items you require are not in stock already, I will personally do the work. What do you need?"

On the night of the intended prank, Harry kept the twins and the Maruders engaged at dinner while Kreacher did the work for them. When the desserts were brought at the end of dinner, Sirius expressed his doubts that the sweets had a distinct taste to them. Everyone else told him that it was not so. Then Remus Lupin noticed that his chocolate had a different taste from the usual but then he was used to magical chocolates and maybe they were testing a new flavour. Later the twins shared butterbeers with Harry, Neville and Ron. The twins noticed their butterbeers had distinct taste but others found nothing wrong with the butterbeers. Neville had stayed over telling Augusta that he was having a stay over and she was fine with it.

The pranks were seen the next day. Instead of Sirius, what came out of his room was a creature with horns on its head, a forked tail, matted bright red hair and bloodshot red eyes. He did not notice that his appearance had changed until he reached the breakfast table where Harry, Neville, Ron, Percy and Arcturus were sitting for breakfast. They broke into laughter when they saw him enter.

He asked them, "What are you all laughing at?"

Arcturus asked him, "Have you looked in the mirror this morning?"

He haughtily replied, "Of course I did. I enjoy gazing upon my handsome, flawless visage."

Harry snorted, "Flawless indeed. I implore you to grab a mirror and look into it again."

Sirius looked into the mirror and howled in rage, "They will pay for this.

Arcturus asked him, "How do you know it is the twins?"

Sirius said with certainty, "Who else could it be? We have been at prank war since they arrived. This is their newest attack."

Arcturus said sternly, "Unless you can make sure that it is them, I forbid you from saying a word."

Sirius whined, "That's unfair, grand-father."

Arcturus glared at him, "Is it fair that you are pranking children half your age?"

Sirius of-course had no answer to that. Arcturus also forbade him from getting rid of the prank before breakfast was over telling him that others needed to see him.

When Remus came in, he had a greenish tinge to his body and his pajamas had been transfigured into a skirt that ended below his knees. His hair was blond instead of the brown it usually was and he wore slippers that squeaked every time he took a step.

Remus was angry with the twins. He raged at them in front of the others, "Look what they did to me, padfoot. They changed my pajamas in skirt, changed the tone of skin and changed my slippers with these which squeak."

Sirius said, "We will teach them Moony. Remember we are Marauders."

When the twins did come down, there was a surprise. One of them sported a beard to rival Dumbledore's, bald and dressed in a gown that had Marauders stamped upon it. The other twin had hair which went past his ankles, dichromatic eyes and he wore what appeared to be animal hide instead of robes.

Arcturus turned to the Marauders, "Did you two do this to them?"

Sirius shook his head, "No, we didn't. Not that we couldn't do any of those things. It's just that we wouldn't go to that much trouble for a prank." Remus also denied having done it.

Arcturus asked the twins if they had done these pranks on the Marauders. They denied it also. The Marauders didn't know it but Arcturus had an idea about who the perpetrators were. Arcturus himself had not done it. That left only Percy and the three children who had not been involved in any prank yet. This was beyond them talent wise since they did not know enough magic at this point to be able to do it but they certainly could use their brains.

**Let's see what you've got**

After breakfast was over, Arcturus summoned Harry to his office. After Harry sat in his favourite chair, Arcturus asked him, "Now lad, we have been quite busy with so many things to do that we haven't had a chance to sit together and talk about things. What you have been up to lately?"

Harry told him everything, "I've been cultivating friendships with students of other houses except for the Slytherins. As a general rule, they avoid me. There are a few of them though who are amenable to me. I suppose it is more to do with me being the Black heir. After all, if there is some house which can have a claim of being Slytherins through and through after Salazar, it is the house of Black. The fact that most of them owe felty to House of Black is just an added bonus."

Arcturus smiled, "I see you learnt your lessons well. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Harry weighed the pros and cons about whether to tell him about Flitwick's dueling lessons before he decided that Arcturus deserved to know about it. He told him, "Me and Neville have been learning dueling from Professor Flitwick for about 4 months now. We are working toward being ready to participate in the Under-14 World Duelling Championship next summer."

He nodded, "Alright. I will enter you both as contestants in the championship. Have you thought about how you will bring Slytherin House to your side?"

He nodded, "I have some ideas but that is all for now. I need to develop them before I can tell you more about it." Nothing however was said about the three-headed dog, or the whispers of Voldemort and the Sorcerer's stone.

When he was leaving Arcturus' office, Arcturus called, "Just so you know, I know that you pulled those pranks on the twins, Sirius and Remus."

Harry cringed inwardly but did not say anything. He should have known that Arcturus would figure it out.

**A duel**

After Arcturus released him from the meeting, Sirius cornered him, "Pup, I have heard that you are learning to duel. Would you display your talents to me?"

Harry grinned, "Gladly but where? There is no duelling ring in this house."

Sirius smirked, "Remind me about it tomorrow."

Next morning, Harry had his wand on the table at breakfast. Ron asked him, "Harry we have been forbidden from using magic outside of school. You're going to get yourself expelled."

Harry smirked, "Not a chance, Ron. They can't find out I did this if I'm doing it in this house. There are too many adult wizards here for them to bother figuring out who did it."

Ron asked him further, "But why did you take it out?"

He told him off-handedly, "I was polishing it this morning."

Since Flitwick had told them that he would not teach a third student, he had to give Ron that excuse. When they were finished with their breakfast, Harry reminded Sirius, "Sirius you had asked me to remind you that this house has no duelling ring."

Sirius nodded, 'Indeed I did. If you want then you can call Neville over." With Neville coming over, he apparated with the two of them. Harry had never liked Apparition to begin with but since it was the fastest and safest way to go, he agreed.

They apparated into a small flat somewhere in London. Harry asked him, "Sirius where are we?"

Sirius replied, "After I left my home, I went to live with Great-Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus. I lived with them until I was admitted to the Aurors. Me and James put some money together and with a little of Uncle Charlus's help, I bought this place. I lived here until James had to go into hiding. It had been sealed and confiscated by the Ministry. After my exoneration, they had to give it back to me. I just got it back recently."

Neville asked him, "Why have you brought us here?"

Sirius grinned, "Because this house has a duelling ring where we used to practice. I want to see what old Flitwick has been teaching you."

He duelled against them two on one. Sirius had not been one of the best Aurors for nothing. The moment Harry and Neville bowed, he sent a stunner towards them which they both dodged by jumping aside. He casually kept sending spells at them in their turn while he danced around their spells. He just stood and waited for them to cast. When they did, he simply moved away. When they tried to be smart and cast in the direction he was going to be, Sirius changed direction and went the other way.

He kept them casting at him for 10 minutes. Neither of them was able to connect with any spell. Finally he decided he had enough. He started herding them together by firing spells to make them converge. When they were together, he sent a wide area stunner. They both raised shields in response. He sent a spell chain at Harry first. It had a petrification hex, a shield breaker and a stunner. Harry ducked the petrification hex, sacrificed his shield to the shield breaker and dodged the stunner only to run into a second stunner which Sirius had fired a split-second after the spell chain. He sent a spell chain of levitation charm, shield breaker and levicorpus at Neville who dodged the levitation charm, gave up his shield and fell to the levicorpus dangling from the ceiling. He calmly stunned him too.

When he enervated the two of them, he told them, "You both are good for firsties but you need to think outside the box. To win a duel, you should use every trick at your disposal."

In between the prank wars, Harry arranged a 'get together' at the Townhouse almost every day. All of his friends came over when they could. The holidays were turning out to be the best yet. When they got bored, they would go out in Muggle London trying to find their way through the city or for a walk or maybe just to have some fun in general.

He had also visited Andromeda twice in that time. Whenever he was out or doing something by himself, Remus would engage Ron in a game of chess. He was fairly good at it so he could keep Ron engaged and not make him feel bored besides stimulating his own brain. Sirius tried to play against Ron a few times but after getting trounced in ten consecutive games, he decided that maybe wizard chess wasn't for him.

The first day that he went to visit with the Tonks, only Tonks was there since Andromeda was at work. When he stepped out of the floo, she grinned, "At last someone here I can play with."

He arched an eyebrow and asked apprehensively, "What do you mean by that?"

She replied, "I wanted to practice my glamour charms on someone. Mother never allows me to do that saying it always ends in a disaster. Father says he is just a common wizard who does not need them. You on the other hand, are a celebrity. I guess you need to be anonymous at times so you could use some glamour charms."

Harry smirked, "Not anymore. Why do you need to learn glamour charms though when you can just concentrate and change your form?"

She replied, "I am trying to get in to the Aurors. They need us to be expert in stealth and tracking, disguise and defense besides being good at potions. I am a fair hand at potions courtesy of mother who was excellent in potions in her time at Hogwarts and she also taught me something of defense. I have no problem disguising myself because of my natural talent, but glamour charms are part of the entry exam and I need to practice them. Also I am clumsy at Stealth and Tracking."

He nodded, "I suppose that it's hard for you to keep your balance because you change your form so much. I remember seeing a book about Metamorphs in the Black library. If you ask, grand-uncle would happily give it to you."

She replied, "I'll think about asking him however why don't you let me do glamour charms on you?"

He was apprehensive but nodded. She did the charms satisfactorily. Just to see that she had done it perfectly, they took a tour of Diagon Alley too.

Coming with her was different from coming to the alley with Sirius or Remus. She had so much to shop for. She met so many of her former classmates that he got bored and even regretted his decision of agreeing to come with her to Diagon Alley.

The next time he visited Andromeda, she was at the house. She invited him to dinner, to which he agreed. She entertained him with a lot of tales about his grand-parents who were her favourite uncle and aunt. She told him of the support they lent to her when she married against the wishes of her parents and how they had treated her as one of their own. Since they had James when they were really old, they doted on all the children around them except Bella and Narcissa. Those two did not like Dorea and Charlus for unknown reasons from the start.

All in all, it was turning out to be the best holiday for him. Then there was the New Year ball which was hosted by the Macmillans. They had started hosting this ball since the end of the war because neither House Potter nor House Black which used to host balls on New Year or Yule had anyone left to organize them. The Macmillans had snapped up the chance. An invitation had arrived for Arcturus as well as Harry. Ernie had also personally invited him for the ball. They were expected to bring dates for the ball but neither Harry nor Neville had dates for the ball. They however decided that they did not need dates at this age. They were still too young to think so far ahead. What they needed at this time was to chase witches (as Sirius put it) and have fun.

Neville went to the ball with Augusta. Harry went with the Blacks, Ron and Remus.

**The ball**

They spent the day of the ball in muggle London, seeing the sights and having fun. When Big Ben struck the half-hour after three, they headed back to the townhouse. Kreacher intercepted Harry as soon as he stepped through the door and dragged him to his room. He had already drawn a bath for Harry. After he had thoroughly bathed and scrubbed, Kreacher had him sit and then went to work on him. His hair was long, falling to his shoulders. Kreacher set it into a fancy hairstyle while applying Sleek-easy hair potion to make his thatch look presentable. After that, Kreacher went to work on his nails. He filed them to an even shape then buffed them to a glossy shine.

Sirius had ordered his dress Robes. Even though he had wardrobes full of clothes for him, Sirius had ordered yet another trunk full for him. There was a cream coloured silk shirt with black trousers, a dragon hide belt with an intricately worked silver buckle, dragon hide boots, Black robes and the whole ensemble was topped off by a black and gold scarf made of the finest wool which could be found. While he was always conscious of his attire, Kreacher had surpassed himself in dressing him up.

They were greeted by Lord Macmillan in his family home when they exited the floo. As per his duty, Ernie was beside his father and he bowed deeply to Arcturus and Sirius. He gave a curt nod to Remus as was prescribed for Regents who are not lords otherwise. He shook hands with Harry and Ron however and sent them in to enjoy the party.

The ball room was large enough to accommodate about 200 people at once. There were tables set up in the hall where a long table had been set up for the heads of houses, Ministry officials and other VIP's. Smaller, rectangular tables had been set up for others. Harry and his friends claimed two such tables and joined them end to end. He was joined by Isobel at one side and Neville at another. Isobel was dressed in black, form fitting robes which rather suited her. She had opted to wear her hair loose rather than the plait she usually sported. Harry thought she looked prettier than she usually did.

She asked him, "So, it never crossed your mind to contact me even once during the holidays?"

He said, "As I remember you did not leave me a floo address."

She eyed him, "Are you sure you were raised in a wizarding family? You could have sent me an owl."

He embarrassedly said, "Oh right. I guess I didn't think of that because Hedwig was at Hogwarts."

Dinner was grand. There were so many dishes put out for them that he could not count. They ate with gusto before a wizarding band started performing. The band players started with a slow song. The hosts went to the dance floor first. The song was slow moving and suited for dancing gracefully.

After the first song, others led their partners to the dance floor. Harry offered his arm to Isobel, "let's dance?"

She accepted and they went to the floor. It was a fast song which required them to dance at a faster beat than the last one. There was some extremely coordinated footwork involved. However Cassiopeia had taught him to dance and he was not about to embarrass himself. They danced for three or four songs before someone interrupted them, "Would you mind Isobel if I borrowed your dancing partner for some time?"

It was Lisa who was also at the ball. Isobel handed him over to her. While they danced, she asked him, "So how were your holidays?"

He replied jovially, "They were excellent, perhaps the best in years with so many people around. What have you been up to?"

She replied, "I was trying to catch up with my friends from before Hogwarts. Woefully, they all seem to have moved on. I guess all the friends that I have left are at school."

He was claimed from her by Hannah who asked him, "What are our plans for the next term, Harry?"

He grinned, "Well I have some very ambitious plans, Hannah. Let's see what becomes of them."

Susan took him from Hannah and they danced for about 10 minutes while enjoying it. They had been getting together recently with their friends so there was not much to talk about. She had told him that she loved to dance and he was determined to show her that he was the perfect dancer.

The night ended shortly after mid-night with a speech by Lord Macmillan. Sirius who had stayed behind escorted him home. Remus and Lord Black had returned to the Townhouse some time before ten o'clock with Ron. Ron had danced a few times with some girls but when he realized that he was not very good at dancing, he had given it up in favour of some refreshments.

Two days later, it was time for them to return to Hogwarts. The morning they were to return, Arcturus addressed them at the breakfast table, "These few days have been very fun filled. This place felt like home after a very long time. I enjoyed your pranks and the retaliations. I would appreciate it if you people would come over whenever you have time to spare. You are all my family and this is as much your home as the Burrow is. Now I want to tell you all that those pranks which were not performed either by these Marauders or the twins were performed by me."

The proclamation caused total silence. There was no way that the perfect pureblood Lord could be a Prank Lord. It took a moment to sink in for all of them and when it did, Sirius asked him, "Are you jesting?"

Arcturus growled, "Does it look like I am laughing? I performed those pranks on you all. I wanted to see how good you self-proclaimed pranksters are when it comes to a real Prank lord."

**A/N- **So someone said Percy was doing the pranks but did I not indicate it was Arcturus when I wrote 'The Prank Lord'.


	14. Chapter 14

**London**

With the winter holidays over, it was time to return to school. Arcturus didn't want to deal with any last minute rush, so he ordered the house elves to pack everybody's trunks the night before. Percy however insisted that he could pack his own trunk. Since he was the most disciplined of the bunch, Arcturus left him to it.

Remus made sure that Harry had packed his trunk. He also made sure that no contraband made its way in during the packing. Sirius winked at Harry and told him out of Moony's hearing that whatever Remus confiscated Sirius would personally deliver to him in the castle. Harry was not one to say no to that.

They all used the floo to get to platform 9 ¾ well before the scheduled departure time. The platform was a mass of confusion with the steam from the scarlet engine, parents seeing their children off to school and friends asking each other about their holidays.

The twins took off to reserve a compartment for their friends. Percy disappeared into the cloud of steam around the Prefects car just behind the coal tender. Harry and his friends climbed aboard the coach at the back end of the train. There were already a lot of first year students there. When he dragged his trunk into the last compartment, he found Ernie, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones already there.

"Hi Harry", they greeted him. He returned their greetings while Remus helped him and Ron hoist their trunks up to the luggage rack. Then they waited outside the train for others. Neville came about 10 minutes later with Augusta. Remus helped him to get his trunk on the train too.

When the train was about to leave, Sirius told them, "remember you lot, study but have fun. There are things that you can do at this age only. And personally I am waiting for you to do more pranks this term."

The train ride back to Hogwarts passed without incident except for Malfoy of course. He entered their compartment about halfway through the journey. When he took in the people in the compartment, he decided that maybe today was not a good day to make trouble and retreated quickly. Even with Crabbe and Goyle to back him up, he was not ready to go against so many at once. When the train arrived at the Station, they took the carriages since it was not a good idea to go boating in the middle of winter anyway.

The school provided carriages for Students 2nd year and up to make the trip from the station at the start of the year. To most, the black carriages with their oil head-lamps appeared to move by magic. But, for the few students who had seen death, they could see that there were nearly skeletal, leather-winged, roughly horse-shaped creatures with dragon-like heads between the traces. They were Thestrals, the largest herd in the world, bred by Hagrid. In spite of their generally gentle and shy demeanor, they had a bad name because of their horrific appearance, carnivorous diet and their association with death. In other words, they were ideal pets for the games keeper of Hogwarts. Harry had heard about the creatures from Moony, but not yet having seen death himself, he could not see them.

During inclement weather, hoods were attached to the carriages but in fair weather, tops were left down. Today, with all the snow and chilly winds, the tops were up. Harry spotted a carriage convenient to the last coach of the train. Rushing over to secure it with Neville and Ernie in tow, Ron, Hermione, Susan and Hannah followed them at a more leisurely pace. They left their trunks on the train. The Hogwarts house elves would take care of transporting their luggage to their dorms. As soon as everyone was on board, the carriage started moving toward the gates of the castle.

Most of them had visited a lot during the holidays so they didn't have much to catch up on. Hermione, on the other hand, had been in France for the holidays. She had found the magical community of the city in Paris and she was in awe of it. She kept chattering about things that she had seen there or heard and learned. She had also bought a lot of books from there which she could not find in Flourish and Blotts or Obscurus Books. Harry said nothing but kept listening to her describing the places she had been to. He of course knew all of those places having visited them many times.

**Forbidden Forest**

Quirrell had to read through a lot of books before he found a temporary solution to his predicament. One of the books on dark magic contained a brief account of Unicorn Blood and its properties. Unicorns are supposed to be creatures of light and killing one is a sin but its blood is rumoured to give half life to someone who was desperate enough to drink it. However killing such a sacred animal does not come without costs and the half life which it gave is cursed meaning the drinker would perish soon unless he could find another way to remain alive.

Tom thought it fit to drink the unicorn blood to try and gain some strength while he figured out how to get to the stone. When he got his hands on the stone, he would be immortal. Until then he had to kill Unicorns.

Today, he was going to make the first attempt at it. He was in the Forbidden forest under cover of the trees. He was trying to find a Unicorn. Hagrid had told him that there were many in the forest so it should not be hard to find one. The difficult thing was to subdue it. They were light and fast and would not fall for any trap. He would have to use all of his strength and cunning to bring one down. To make things harder grown up Unicorns tended to shy away from adult wizards so he would have to be completely concealed. He also remembered reading in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them" by Newt Scamander that they liked sugar cubes the most. He had laid out heaps of them at the edge of a clearing that he could watch. Climbing high into a tree, he waited. He spent three hours in the tree but none of the beasts ever came. What came instead of them were the Centaurs who removed the sugar cubes he had piled up. He was angry at them for this but he could not reveal himself to them. They were very close to the old fool. And besides, they would fill Quirrell's body full of arrows faster than he could take them out with dark curses.

Finally when he gained nothing, he decided to come back another night when the Centaurs would be asleep. It would not be so much trouble to him to find the Unicorns then. And once he did, he would get some power into him.

Time was running out. He did not know how long he could possess Quirrell before the old fool would realise something was amiss. He needed some leverage when it came to the cerberus. He needed a way around it. There just had to be something that could help him. If he cast the Killing Curse, the castle's war wards would let Dumbledore know almost instantly. Then despite killing the beast, he would be left empty handed. Besides, he did not know if a cerberus was impervious to magic. If it turned out to be the case, Quirrell would die a gruesome death, becoming the next meal for the three-headed monster. He would have to find a way around the beast before others realised what he was up to.

**Head Master's office**

Dumbledore was watching one of the memories that he had gathered while trying to document Tom's life and taking notes. There were things that he needed to do and places to visit to find the Horcruxes. If they succeeded in finding them, they would have no problem bringing him down if he returned to a body. Thanks to Arcturus Orion Black he knew there were at least six of them. He also regretted that Arcturus did not contact him even once during the last decade to tell this little secret to him. They could have put all their resources together to find them. Perhaps they could have found and destroyed them already. Now however Albus's duties had increased. He already knew that Tom was trying to get to the Sorcerer's stone. It was clear that he was active once more. It was just a matter of time before he found a way to gain a body. All Albus could do was frustrate Tom and slow him down while trying to find the horcruxes.

He again made a list of those items in his mind and compared it with the list of items that he had prepared. The first thing was Slytherin's locket. The goblins had destroyed it under Arcturus' orders. The second was Helga Hufflepuff's cup which had been found in the vault of Bellatrix No Name. It had met the same fate as the locket. The third had been a piece of soul which had attached itself to Harry When the ancient magic that his dying mother had invoked caused the killing curse to rebound on Tom. It had been removed by a mage at Arcturus's request. There were at least 3 more out there. Out of them, he had a fair idea that at least one of them was related to the founders. Since Tom was obsessed with everything that he considered special and liked to collect trophies, it stood to reason that he would have tried to find something of the founders. With the locket and the cup destroyed, the only two well-known founder artifacts remaining were the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw and the sword of Gryffindor. He had no idea where the diadem was. It had not been seen for centuries. The sword was safely secured right here in his office. There was no sign of such a foul taint as a horcrux about it. He had heard legends about the sword. It was enchanted to present itself to someone who was a Gryffindor through and through in the hour of their dire need. That meant that the Lost Diadem was almost certainly a horcrux. The puzzle of locating it after centuries… No, a few decades because Tom had found it, corrupted it and hidden it again, would be challenging, but not impossible.

Still, there were at least two unknown horcruxes. Given Tom's fondness for powerful artifacts, it was likely that at least one of them was such an item. Dumbledore believed that looking more into the Gaunt family history might give him a clue as to what it was. And the final horcrux to be identified was likely the first one he made. It would have been a totally new magic to him for his first attempt. Perhaps it was an item of convenience that was close at hand? There would be one more but he had no idea what it could be.

Looking into the House of Gaunt would mean leaving the castle, visiting places and meeting people. He could not take the chance of leaving the castle with Tom on the move and the stone being housed in the school. May be, after he had seen the stone being destroyed for good or being kept at such a place where Tom could not reach it, then he would go after the remaining Horcruxes.

He also had time to think about how this year had turned out so far. When the term started, he had been apprehensive for Hadrian Potter-Black who was raised by the house of Black but the young boy had turned out to be a fine child and Albus knew that he was more than he let on. The lad had all of them wrapped around his little finger. Minerva was all praises for the boy. He also knew the boy was a master of misdirection. Nobody could guess what he would do next and he was fond of keeping his cards close to his chest. Neville Longbottom seemed to be the only one who could get a sneak peek into what was going on in his mind or what he would do next. Neville was another young child who had amazed Albus. Unlike Frank who was a disciplinarian and did not mock authority, Neville was a prankster. To see that the two boys had bonded so well made Albus think that perhaps Neville and Harry had known each other for years already, which might have been possible. Arcturus Orion Black was called crafty for a reason.

He was also seeing wizarding Britain change every day under the leadership of Minister Bones. As a former Auror, she knew the importance of Aurors in Wizarding Britain and that there were not enough of them. She was considering relaxing the entry requirements a little so that there could be enough Aurors. Merlin forbid, if Tom made a comeback, they would be hard pressed to fight him. Therefore she had decided to err on the side of caution.

Albus also knew that he would have to train Hadrian Potter-Black after some time when he deemed the boy to be ready. For one thing, he needed the boy to be versed in Occlumancy. For another he had a proclivity for learning arcane magics. Tom had not left any stone unturned to obtain knowledge when he had been a student. May be in a year or two when the boy had proved that he was worthy, Albus would start teaching him. He had committed every bit of information to Arcturus which was related to Harry and now it was upon Arcturus to tell him or not.

**Great Hall**

When Harry arrived in the Great Hall, he noticed that Snape was not there but all the other teachers were present. He thought that perhaps Snape was taking the opportunity to gain entry into the trap door on the third floor while the students feasted. His suspicions however were ended when Snape arrived before the feast started. He was slightly out of breath. He looked like he had been running a few moments ago. His robes too looked a little dishevelled. When Harry looked carefully, he could see that Snape was wincing and not using his right hand much. This looked strange to Harry. Snape was right handed. So, as Harry supposed, he had hurt it somehow.

He turned to Neville who was sitting beside him, "Mate, do you think that something is the matter with Snape's hand? He is trying not to use that hand as if he had hurt it recently?"

Neville watched Snape for a few seconds before nodding, "It does look like it. I can also see a rip in his robes. I can't think what it's about."

Hermione said to them in a low whisper, "Do you two think that he's trying to go after whatever is there on the third floor?"

Harry nodded, "That's exactly what I think, Hermione. He must have been trying to get past the three headed beast and it mangled him in the process."

Ronald asked, "So what should we do about it? I mean do we tell the teachers?"

Harry shook his head, "No. I mean, what would we even tell them? We're not supposed to know anything about the stone. … and we have no evidence. Until we know more, we can't say anything. Besides, if we said anything and it got back to Snape, he will take it out on us."

Their classes with Snape had not been ideal but most of the time Harry had got the edge on him. He had not stopped taking points off Gryffindor on every pretence but McGonagall was giving the points back to them for answering questions in her class or for any example of good behavior. She had told him not to rise to the bait in Snape's class. Pursuing a relentless fight against Snape was a worthless adventure. Dumbledore would not fire him for some reasons known only to him. Every time would be a meaningless clash and nothing more. True Harry could get Arcturus to use his influence and get him fired from the job but such a weak use of power was beneath him.

Snape, for his part, did not say anything which could have been insulting to either the late James Potter or to any of the Marauders. He kept his taunts and insults focused on Harry only. He tried to find fault with everything he did or said. Harry wasn't innocent either. He deliberately egged the potions master into anger just because he could. That just gave the students more reason to hate him.

"Harry mate, what have you planned for this term?", George's voice brought him out of his musings.

Harry responded with a self-satisfied grin, "That's a work in progress. You'll find out when everyone else does. After all, the surprise is half the fun."

Fred asked, "Is it a prank or something else?"

Harry grinned, "Oh, it's something else alright. You'll love it. Think of it as a stage to show your talents to the school."

**Duelling class room**

"Good evening Mr. Potter-Black and Mr. Longbottom", said Flitwick as they entered the dueling room. After being seated, he turned to them, "So how was your vacation? Did you keep up with your practice?"

Harry answered, "Professor, I'm surprised you would ask such a thing. You know better than we do that, as under-aged wizards, we are forbidden to use magic outside of school."

Flitwick snorted, "Pull the other one. If you two haven't found a way around that restriction years ago, I'll eat my hat. And if you couldn't do that on your own, Remus or Sirius are more than able to show you the way."

Harry shook his head and said earnestly, "Professor, do you mean to say that there's a way around the law? Can you explain it to us?"

Flitwick let the topic drop. He knew that these two would know that the trace could not work in a wizarding home and yet they were feigning innocence so he would play along. He turned to them, "Since you have finished the spells I wanted you to learn now I will teach you the etiquette of dueling."

They both started listening with rapt attention. It was a subject which they enjoyed the most.

Flitwick said, "Before you are to start a duel, you have your wand in hand poised in front of your face. You bow to your opponent before you begin to cast. Now there is a little manoeuvre that you can try. As soon as your opponent answers your bow with one of his, start casting before he can get into defensive position."

With that he asked them to stand facing each other. When they were in position, he said, "Now that you both know all the basic spells, I want you to practice dueling. You will duel to disarm and will not cast after your opponent is disarmed. Is that clear?"

They both nodded and he said further, "Bow to each other."

They both bowed to each other. Without wasting a second, Harry sent a stunner at Neville. He seemed to have sensed that Harry was about to pull this trick on him. He had already put up a shield which blocked the stunner. Not wanting to lose the momentum, Harry fired a rapid series of stunners. Neville kept taking them on the shield without breaking a sweat. Finally after about 5 minutes when Harry relented for a second, Neville started sending petrification hexes at him. Harry didn't bother with a shield. He dodged them. He kept dodging them until Neville started sending spells in the direction he was going to be. Still not wanting to raise a shield, Harry sent a tripping hex at Neville which made him stumble. In that moment, Harry collapsed him with a stunner.

With Neville down, he dutifully stood aside while Flitwick enervated Neville. After he had climbed atop his stack of books, he turned to them, "It was a good duel, interesting to watch. Neville, your shielding technique was excellent. I must caution you that there is a simple spell that breaks shields. It is unwise to rely on shields exclusively. Harry, Excellent dodging. Not only will that help keep you fit, but it is also effective against just about everything except a wide-area stunner. You will need a shield to counteract that. You both have learned everything thoroughly well. I must say I am impressed. Now the second rule of dueling is that you never attack your opponent after he is incapacitated or disarmed. Doing so would mean expulsion. From the next session, I will teach you both to chain spells together. It is not widely known. Generally we do not see students as young as you using them in a duel. If you can master them, you can be assured that there will be little competition on that front."

With that he let them practice again trying to duel each other. They were evenly matched right now but a little use of brains and impulse reaction could make all the difference between them. Also whoever cast the first spell between them would have the better chance of coming out on top.

**Wizengamot**

The last 10 days had passed very quickly with Arcturus meeting with his new allies. He was securing their assent to ending some practices which he felt were not conducive to his plans. He had met with all of them one by one. He persuaded them to his line of thought. He also sent letters to many from the Dark Faction asking them to agree to whatever was on the agenda of the Wizengamot in the next session. For the next session, he was taking the seat of House of Potter while Sirius would act as Regent for House Black.

When time for the session arrived, everybody was buzzing with anticipation for it. There had been some very hot headed debates about the topic before everyone agreed that they would do as he wanted. It was all part of the grand plan to deny any foothold in Wizarding Britain to Voldemort if he managed to obtain a body. They were slowly chipping away at his support base, cutting off every source which could have augmented his strength.

His word was respected among his new allies for a lot of reasons. By marriage, the Blacks were related to almost all of the families. Arcturus had also been instrumental in getting the Great Alliance together after so many years. With so many deaths, it had not been easy for them to get all the lords of the Great Alliance together but he had done it so he was treated as the de facto leader of their faction. His leverage on several houses of the Dark Faction was just an added bonus.

On the designated day after the members had arrived for their daily business, Dumbledore strode to his seat at his usual 2 minutes before 10:00 a.m. and rapped his gavel, "Let the session of Wizengamot for January 1992 begin."

After the preliminary business was conducted, it was time for motions. Albus rapped his gavel, "Do any of the members wish to present a motion before we move to administrative matters?"

Arcturus stood, "I would like the opportunity to address the Wizengamot, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore was surprised when Arcturus stood to present a motion. Lord Black had not told him anything about this motion so he was not in the know but he really wondered if he was losing his edge and grasp on the Wizengamot. Nothing ever happened in the light faction without Dumbledore knowing about it however there was nothing for it now but to allow him to present the motion. He nodded, "The floor is yours, Lord Black."

Arcturus turned to the Wizengamot, "Members of this sacred body, I would like the opportunity to remind you of certain laws which were passed during the regime of the previous administration which declare Werewolves as dark creatures. We treat them as beast unworthy of our compassion or dignity. It is a slant for those whose parents and family members fought for our liberty, our freedom. They paid the price by being turned into Werewolves. These draconian laws mean that we treat them as creatures of below human intelligence and we even rob them of their dignity while we do not really give anything to them in return. I say that this shall not stand. Would we despise the sacrifice people made for our liberty? Would we ostracize them because they turn into a raving mindless beast for 13 nights a year which is not their fault in the first place? I present a motion to repeal all the anti-werewolf legislation which was enacted during the previous administration and advocate for them to be given equal opportunity as anyone else provided they are taking their potion."

When Arcturus sat down, Dumbledore asked the Wizengamot in general, "Does anybody second the motion?"

As agreed, Dowager Lady Longbottom stood, "I second the motion, Chief Warlock."

They had deliberated over who would present the motion and who would second it. Arcturus presenting it meant that it would pass and with his impassioned plea, it struck a chord with many who had lived through the brutality of war and were old enough to understand its repercussions. Having Augusta second it was a wise move because she was the mother of Frank Longbottom who was treated as a hero by everyone. If she seconded it then it would make them consider it more keenly since she would not have seconded a motion if it were against the interests of the wizarding public.

Dumbledore spoke again, "Is there anyone to speak against the motion?"

Lord Lestrange stood, "I would like to address the Wizengamot, Chief Warlock."

Lord Lestrange was father of Rudolphus and Rabbastan Lestrange. His sons had been death-eaters in the war. Arcturus's grand-daughter Bellatrix No Name was Lestrange's daughter-in-law before Arcturus had dissolved her marriage and cast her out of the Black family. When Bellatrix's vault was confiscated, a horcrux was discovered in her vault. The goblins had sent him a notice and seized half the Lestrange fortune as reparations for breaking rules of deposit with the Bank. They had not told Lord Lestrange expressly what was kept in the locker but just that it was an infraction of the Bank's rules. In additions to the fortune seized by the Goblins, Arcturus had demanded Bellatrix's dowry back with interest. That had given a substantial blow to the Lestrange fortune. In short, Lord Lestrange hated Arcturus Orion Black with fervour but he knew he was powerless before him. Arcturus was like a giant who could tread upon him anytime and Lestrange would not be able to do anything about it.

Dumbledore said, "You have the floor, Lord Lestrange."

He started to speak after taking a few moments, "In the war, the Dark Lord had used werewolves as creatures to do his bidding. They spread terror, forced witches and wizards into his doing and were his tools of intimidation or extortion. While I would agree with Lord Black that some of them paid the price for defiance of their families of the dark lord and his ways but their numbers are so few that they can be counted on one's fingers. The balance of convenience says that we cannot repeal the laws just because a few of them are good. That would be a catastrophe that would jeopardise all our lives.".

There was mild applause to his statement.

When he sat down, Bartemius Crouch Senior stood, "Chief Warlock, I would like the opportunity to address the Wizengamot."

Dumbledore nodded, "Leave so granted, Lord Crouch."

Crouch turned to the Wizengamot, "As Lord Lestrange pointed out there were only a few werewolves who stood against He Who Must Not Be Named. What he conveniently forgot to mention is that we never gave them any real choice. Whenever someone was turned, we banished them from our midst, treating them as diseased. With the treatment that we meted out to them, they flocked to the one who claimed that he would give them some form of dignity and respect even if it was a lie. Besides, what he said about convenience stands true only in war like conditions where we have to make snap judgements about something. When these laws were written, we were at war. We knew that they were a threat to us so we acted accordingly. Now however, when I look back in retrospect I wonder if things would have been different if we gave them some dignity and respect as one of our own rather than scorning them. If we had not been turning them away from us, they would not have gone over to You-know-who in such great numbers. I say that this is the opportune moment to correct this wrong by supporting this motion. I further would advocate for equal opportunities for them with the ministry taking care of any of them who are living in the wilderness without or as such and provide for them."

As everyone knew Crouch was a strict man who had made some very tough decisions during the war. He had advocated for and given permission to the Aurors to use lethal force during the war. He had been the sort of leader that people needed in time of war. Many had thought that he would become the next minister of magic without any trouble whatsoever. He evidently had not lost his edge still because when he sat, the applause kept going for a few minutes.

When the applause finally settled, Dumbledore rapped his gavel again, "Is there anyone else who wishes to speak to this motion before we move to vote on it?"

Lord Shafiq, who was a very old wizard stood up, "Chief Warlock, I have some reservations of my own in respect to this law and I wish to ask some questions of our esteemed minister before we move to vote on the issue."

Amelia stood at her place, "Ask your questions, Lord Shafiq. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability."

He turned to her, "First question is, what will be the far reaching effects of repealing those laws? Second question is, whether we will dispense with the Werewolf registry if we repeal the laws? Third question is, what does the ministry intend to do for their rehabilitation provided that we give them rights like other members of our society?"

Amelia took her time to give answers to his questions, "Lord Shafiq, we have given considerable thought to addressing these very concerns. The over-arching objective to these changes is to give these people every opportunity to re-enter our society while protecting public safety. When we repeal those laws, it will give them status as any other ordinary member of our society. They would be allowed every such perk and emolument as any ordinary member can enjoy including education provided that they are capable of wielding wands. I am sure that the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can ensure that they would not pose a threat to the other students. The ministry also intends to engage one of the potion making companies in purchasing wolfsbane from them to be distributed to the werewolves who do not have the means to buy it for themselves. The ministry will provide wolfsbane for them until they can acquire some sort of employment for themselves. The ministry will also take steps to ensure that they are treated with dignity. We would also make some laws regarding their employment. As to your second question, the werewolf registry is in bad shape. It will take some effort to make it effectively functional. That has been in the ministry's agenda for some time now. Here I would like to say that every werewolf has to register themselves with the registry. We will not track them but their magical signatures will be recorded so that they can be apprehended in case they commit a crime. If they are found to be involved in a crime they would be tried like anyone else in compliance with due process except those cases where they turn somebody which is a crime punishable by the Dementor's kiss. The Ministry also intends to raise a task force to deal with the criminal werewolves and bring them to justice, most notably Fenrir Greyback who has much to answer for. Thirdly, we will provide them employment, give them dignity they deserve and the ministry will work towards making them feel like they are a part of our society."

When she sat there was a roaring applause for her. After it lasted for a good 5 minutes, Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Does anyone else want to address the Wizengamot before we move to a vote?"

When nobody stood up for two minutes, he rapped his gavel again, "Now we will vote on the matter. Those in favour please raise your wands with tips lighted green."

About 50 hands went up and after a quick count, he said, "Now those in oppose please raise your wands tip lighted red."

30 wands went up. Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "The motion is passed with 50 for and 30 against. As per her own statement, Minister Bones will form a plan of action for werewolf integration into our society and other related matters as she stated before the Wizengamot. We expect for her to table a detailed plan of action in the next meeting of the Wizengamot."

With that the meeting turned to daily matters which were swiftly tended to and then the session was adjourned sine die.

When Arcturus left, he went straight to Gringotts to meet with his account manager. He did not even need to send for him. He just walked towards the chamber assigned to his house. After he was comfortably seated before his account manager, Arcturus asked him, "Do you know of any potion businesses which deal completely or in large part with wolfsbane?"

The goblin nodded, "There are a few small businesses, Lord Black. Most of them are in constant requirement of funds since they do not make much by way of profit. Is something on your mind, a profitable venture perhaps?"

Arcturus smirked, "You will have to see the Daily Prophet for the story tomorrow. I want to know because I am willing to buy one such brewing facility. I have known Barnabas Cuffe for years and I am willing to obtain a business in a partnership with him where he would get 20% of the profits in return for his services. Since I intend to produce, package and deliver my products I am sure I can substantially cut down the costs of production which will increase my profits. I want you to find some international liaisons too if you can manage it. I will pay a handsome fee to you personally apart from the standard brokerage charges applicable by the Bank for negotiating this deal."

The goblin nodded, "Who will be the owner of the company, Lord Black?"

He smiled, "My heir, Hadrian Potter-Black will be the owner though the daily affairs will be tended to by Remus Lupin until he comes of age. I want you to write an agreement for Mr. Lupin appointing him as Regent on a salary of 100,000 Galleons a year in addition to other bonuses as payable. He will look after its administration. Also the matter is of some urgency therefore I would bid you to hasten it."

The goblin nodded, "I will do the needful, Lord Black."

**Forbidden forest**

Voldemort was frustrated. He had combed the forest but he did not get any indication of unicorn in it. Not too surprising since he was a dark wizard, not a tracker. He was surprised that he could find none but he was sure that not all were dead because if they were then it would be just a catastrophe.

He had been scouring the forest every night to find any trace of them but it was like they stayed away from his scent. The problem with possessing Quirrell was two-fold. First, it took a constant effort to maintain his hold on the hapless fool. Second, the possession of any living thing drastically shortened its life-span. He could already feel Quirrell's body weakening under the strain. He had to drink a unicorn's blood very soon or return to his ethereal, wraith-like existence until he could gain the strength and find the opportunity to possess another body. It took him ten years last time and his patience was running out. What's worse, that brat, the child of prophesy, Harry Potter, was growing up fast. It would not be long before the child would prove a real threat to him. The problem with working this way was that there was no one he could rely upon to support him. His ethereal existence would not be a deterrent to his followers from abandoning him.

He decided to get some help in trapping Unicorns because there was no other way that he could help himself. He also needed something to get past the three headed beast because it was all standing between him and his goal. Once he had the stone within his grasp, he would be invincible. He knew he would have to get to Hagrid to loosen up about the beast because he was pretty sure that Hagrid owned it. May be, he would have to cash in on Hagrid's feelings towards beasts to get a way past the cerberus. Hagrid was physically formidable and magically resistant because of his giant blood, but he was no mental giant. He would find a way to get around Hagrid.

**Hogwarts**

The headlines in The Daily Prophet were the subject of talk at breakfast.

_**"Ministry repeals anti-werewolf legislation**_

_In the meeting of the Wizengamot for this month, Lord Arcturus Black presented a motion for repeal of the Anti-werewolf legislation which was written during the last war that treated them as an inferior species and a public menace. _

_Lord Black while speaking in favour of the motion, attracted attention towards those cases where you-know-who used to send them to do his bidding. Many of our own were turned as a result. He emphasised the importance of making them a part of our society stressing that they deserve some dignity because they have no control over their transformations. _

_His motion was seconded by Dowager Lady Longbottom which comes as a surprise since these two houses have always been considered polar opposites to each other since the establishment of the Wizengamot but sources suggest that the heir of Potter and Black and the Heir of Longbottom are closest bosom friends at Hogwarts where they are in their first year of education. _

_Speaking in opposition to the motion, Lord Lestrange said that the legislation was suitably drafted because werewolves were criminals who do not belong to this society. They should be kept at arm's length from us civilised people. (See p. 10 for a history of House Lestrange)._

_Bartemius Crouch Senior, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation said that the legislation was a hold-over from an era when it was relevant however in the times of peace, we should aspire to include everyone in the grand scheme of things rather than leaving them out, That the legislation discriminated against even those werewolves who never involved themselves in any wrong doing. (See p. 14 for a history of Bartemius Crouch Junior and his incarceration in Azkaban)._

_Lord Shafiq asked some questions of the Ministry who answered them in detail including her plans for werewolves. One worrying aspect of the measures is that she intends to send werewolf children to take education alongside others at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is a troubling thought considering what would be the repercussions if some of them failed to take their potions. (See p. 15 for a transcript of the session)._

This was the news on the front page of the Daily Prophet with Arcturus's photo splashed upon it. Harry who was sitting this morning at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast took a deep sigh.

Isobel who was sitting beside him asked, "That was some sigh. Any worrying news?"

He shook his head, "No, Isobel. It's just that these news papers can't write a piece of news without causing some controversy. I had nothing to do with this news splashed on the front page but they had to drag me into it anyway."

Neville thumped him on the shoulder, "You're a newsworthy person to them, mate. They can't resist the temptation to put your name in and make some money."

Isobel said, "Don't worry much about it, Harry. I'm sure that you're used to it by now. Besides you can't escape it unless you're wearing a glamour charm every time you go out."

He grimaced, "I suppose you're right, Isobel."

She asked him, "What are you doing after class tomorrow?"

He replied, "Since I'm finished with my homework, I don't have any plans. Why?"

She asked coyly, "Maybe, we can go out to the village tomorrow? I have been meaning to do some shopping and I can't open the secret entrance."

He grinned, "Sure thing. I'm already low on dungbombs and stink-pellets."

Neville asked him, "Oi, we just restocked our stores of dungbombs and stink pellets during the holidays. How could you run out of them in two weeks?"

Harry smirked, "leaving two dungbombs a day in Snape's office would do that, mate."

Isobel frowned, "So that's why he has been extra nasty the last few days?"

Harry asked her, "What do you mean?"

She told him, "For the last two classes, he has been docking points off us for making a mess and making the dungeons stink of dungbombs. I should have known you were doing it."

In the first class this term, Snape was teaching them the pompion potion which turned the drinker's head into a pumpkin. This potion required them to crush a Flitterby moth into pulp and add it to the cauldron, then stirr the mixture clockwise until it turned green. The next step was to add bouncing bulb to the mixture which had been thoroughly ground up. Then the mixture had to be stirred anti-clockwise until it turned green before adding sliced foxglove to the mixture. Thereafter it was to be stirred clockwise until it turned Orange.

He had been hovering near Harry's table far too many times, creating a distraction. Harry did not notice until he drawled, "if you have brewed it correctly, then the results should be most interesting. That was worth all the effort. However if you have failed then it will be another P for you all. Now step away from your cauldrons and let me check how you have fared."

Harry, to his horror discovered that his potion was not the colour it was supposed to be. Instead it was an off-shade of Purple. He rifled through his mind to recall what step he had missed. That was when he noticed the Flitterby moth still intact at his workstation. He had forgotten to add it! Neville's was a feeble shade of orange though. That meant he would not be given the Snape treatment which Harry knew was coming for him. He noticed him inspecting Slytherin's and wrinkling his nose in disgust at Crabbe's and Goyle's attempts at brewing the Pompion potion, then passed on. He gave an appreciative nod to Daphne's and Tracy's perfect potions and to Malfoy who smirked. He barely gave a second look to Hermione's who had brewed the perfect potion. Ron's was a shade of red that matched his hair.

When he came to Harry's, he drawled, "What do we have here? What have you brewed for me Potter?"

Harry gritted his teeth, "Professor, my name is Potter-Black. I failed to add the Flitterby moth as per one of your instructions. This is not the pompion potion as you wanted us to brew."

He sneered, "That will be five points from Gryffindor for talking back to a teacher. Five more for a failed potion. You are just like your father, flouting authority and breaking rules.". He pulled out his wand and vanished his potion smirking, "That will be a D for this lesson."

Harry's blood boiled but he clamped down hard on his occlumency shields and controlled his rage. It would do no good to get angry. Anger is a power if properly tamed and seldom used. Getting angry at the slightest provocation would get one nowhere.

He instead said, "Professor, I assume that you will be taking points off Crabbe and Goyle for their failed attempts to brew the perfect potion? Not to mention I expect they will be given D's too?"

Snape angrily turned his back on them and hissed, "5 more points from Gryffindor."

Harry was beyond caring now. He knew that Snape would not be fair to him anytime soon. He had talked to Lord Black about Snape and Arcturus had said, "Lad, I can intervene and bring that death eater in line but what would it prove? Power should not be used blatantly but used with discretion. Besides you are at an age where you have to prove your mettle. If you cannot handle a potions teacher, how can you hope to become a leader of Wizarding Britain?"

He had later met McGonagall and told her about it. She had given 10 points back to him which had been deducted without reason. She however told him in stern words that the 5 points that he lost for talking back to a teacher would remain deducted. For good or bad, Snape was a teacher and by the virtue of his position, he deserved some respect.

The last two potions classes, Harry had clamped down hard on his occlumancy shields and maintained his concentration, no matter how Snape attempted to provoke him. His potions had been perfect, but Snape never gave him anything better than an A while handing out O's to Daphne, Tracy and Malfoy. Harry dropped a dungbomb in his class whenever he got the chance. When he could not do it in person, he asked Kreacher to do it for him. Hearing Isobel telling about his reaction felt extremely satisfying.

"Harry! Harry!", she was shaking his shoulder bringing him out of his musings, "Where did you just go off to?".

He gave her his best lop-sided grin, "Sorry Isobel, I didn't hear what you were saying."

Neville said, "She wants you to stop dung-bombing the dungeons."

Harry looked earnestly at Isobel, "I'll try but it's just so much fun."

She nodded, "Are we still on for the shopping trip later tomorrow?"

He nodded, "Of course. I have to restock my supplies, don't I?"

Lisa who was sitting near-by put her two knuts in, "Please see to it, Potter-Black if you can stop dropping Dungbombs in the dungeons. He seems to be trying to deduct all the lead which other houses have on Slytherin in the quest for the House Cup."

Hermione said, "Except Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall is always giving us bonus points to keep the tally up knowing Professor Snape can take points off for anything."

**Library, Hogwarts**

Harry and Neville took a table to themselves with the ward device erected and waited for Daphne. She had been away for most of the winter vacation and they had missed her. When she arrived, she had two small packets with her.

She passed the packets to them, "Since I was on a holiday and I could not grab an owl to ask, I did some gift shopping for you two by myself. I hope that you like them."

They immediately tore through the packing to find their gifts. Harry's present was an enchanted mirror. When Harry held it up to see himself, it said, "Your hair is a bird's nest." Harry snorted then reached for a comb. By the time he finished his antics and gave up trying to tame his Potter mane as a bad job, Daphne and Neville were both helpless with laughter.

Neville's was a book on herbology.

Harry frowned, "Why do I get a mirror and Mr. Green thumbs gets a book?"

She smirked, "Well, I have heard that you are too proud of your looks so I thought I would rather get you a mirror which can tell you the bitter truth. I could not find an identical mirror for Mr. Green thumbs so he gets the book."

Harry said to her haughtily, "I will have you know Daph that I am ruggedly handsome."

Daphne snorted but chose to let it go. She instead asked, "So what have you two louts got for me?"

Neville produced a tiny box exquisitely wrapped in gold foil paper with a green satin ribbon, topped with a bow from his bag. He gave it to her, "I got this for you."

There was a pair of beautiful golden rings in the said gift which she accepted happily. She turned to Harry expectantly who was trying to hide his face and said in a surprised tone, "What? You have nothing for me?"

He said, "Actually I wanted to get something for you but Mr. Green thumbs here told me to ask you before buying anything for you." He glared at Neville, "How could you do this to me, minion?

Neville grinned, "To each his own, Harry. You should not have asked me for advice."

Harry turned to Daphne, "My apologies for trusting the advice of a minion, Daphne. May I offer to take you shopping in the village tomorrow to make it up to you? Then I will happily buy a gift as you desire."

She raised an eyebrow, "A shopping trip? When did you even plan it?"

He shrugged, "Isobel wanted to go so I agreed."

She sounded incredulous, "What? Do you want me to be a third wheel between you and her?"

He immediately tried to dispel the tension, "Of course not. My minion here has agreed to be your escort for the day."

She grinned and rubbed her hands gleefully, "Excellent! Your minion can carry all the bags for me."

**A/N- hi guys. I know this was very late but I am in mental tension these days due to my mother's ailment. Most of the times, my mind is caught upon her condition so I can't write as frequently as I would like yet I would try to be more frequent.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hogwarts**

Voldemort decided that he would have to engage Hagrid in a conversation if he ever wanted to be able to catch a unicorn. Hagrid who was a simpleton was fool enough for him to exploit. All he needed was to get the oaf talking and then subtly drive him toward what he needed to know, in this case, information about Unicorns.

He could have tried to manipulate Silvanus Kettleburn into telling him but the old Professor was crafty and he could likely see through his manipulations. If he tried to trick the Professor and he smelt something fishy, Voldemort would be left empty-handed. Hagrid on the other hand was the perfect choice. He went into the forest regularly and it was entirely possible that he would know a way to capture a Unicorn. The only thing he had to do was to ask this question as innocently as he could make it. He had two choices in that matter- Either present himself as a beast enthusiast to him and ask him or get him drunk and let him ramble.

The hazard with asking him straight up was that in that condition the oaf would be able to remember that he had given that information to Quirrell. In case any Unicorns died, he would tell Dumbledore. The old fool was shrewd enough to connect links and form a chain. It would come back to bite him later.

The other way was entirely risk free and if he had the oaf drunk enough to slip his cogs, Hagrid would not remember a single thing the next day. A slight problem was that Quirrell had almost never talked with Hagrid before and if he suddenly started talking to Hagrid trying to be friendly with the Games Keeper that would look suspicious. He would have to keep an eye on the oaf when he went down to the village for drinks. At the right moment, he would meet Hagrid under a hood and ask him all he wanted to know. He would need to wait for the opportune moment to strike so that it bore fruit.

* * *

As they had agreed for the shopping trip, Harry met them near the statue of the old crone. Like earlier, Neville opened the hump for them while Harry kept an eye on everyone on the map. When Daphne and Isobel were in the hump, Neville hooted for him to join them. Clearing the map, Harry jumped down behind them to take them to Hogsmeade.

Isobel who was not in the know asked him, "Harry, did you invite Greengrass?"

Harry gave his best lopsided grin, "No. She threatened me at wand-point until I agreed to let her come."

Neville cautioned him, "Mate, do you have a death-wish today?"

Harry turned to him, "Why would you think so Minion?"

Neville protested, "I am no Minion.". He then turned to Daphne, "Back me up, Daph."

Daphne who had a mischievous grin on her face said, "I do not deign to put my weight behind minions."

Isobel asked them, "What are you all on about?" She turned to Harry, "As it is, you haven't answered my question yet."

Harry said, "Well Isobel, this is one of the best kept secrets. Daphne is one of my oldest friends and sometime she is being irritating, unreasonable and bossy yet she is very endearing."

Daphne growled, "Irritating am I? Well you're going to see irritating." She whipped her wand out and zapped Harry's backside with a stinger.

In response, Harry yelped then said, "Oww! Why is it that when girls cannot win, they resort to violence?"

Neville said, "Don't ask me. I don't want to be at the receiving end of one of her tirades for saying something funny."

Daphne cooed, "Good boy, Neville. If you keep behaving like this I promise to buy a Honeydukes chocolate for you."

Harry pouted, "Why does he get a chocolate and I don't?"

Daphne scowled, "Because he is a good boy."

Isobel said, "If you promise to behave, I promise to get you a chocolate Harry."

Harry turned to Daphne and Neville, trying to look smug, "See, this kind girl has agreed to buy me a chocolate."

They kept bantering back and forth till they reached the village. Unlike every time they had come into the village, this time there was a shocker waiting for them. When they climbed the stairs from the cellar of Honeydukes, they could hear someone was there with Mr. Flume and they were laughing about something. The laugh was innocuous of itself but the person who was up there with Mr. Flume made them hesitate from walking out as they all figured they recognized that voice. Sure enough, it belonged to Albus Dumbledore.

They were hiding for some time before Dumbledore called out to them, "Come out you lot. I already know that you're down there."

Well, there was nothing for it. The Headmaster had caught them. Their heads hung in disappointment as they climbed up through the trap-door to find him sitting in a chair like his own at Hogwarts with his eyes twinkling behind those half moon spectacles. He asked them, "Did you think that I wouldn't know that you all snuck out of school?"

Harry asked him, "How did you know?"

Dumbledore chuckled, "The Baron had been patrolling that corridor. He saw you disappear into the hump of the old crone. I always thought that the statue was most peculiar. Now I know why."

Daphne asked him, "Are you going to punish us, Professor?"

He shook his head, "That wasn't my intention but I'd rather that you people would not flout rules so casually."

With that Dumbledore left them in the shop to look around. The first place to go was the Three Broomsticks where Madame Rosmerta beamed at them, "Welcome you lot. It is always refreshing to see you."

After a quick butterbeer, they decided that they should leave before it got too late. As it was, they were yet to finish their shopping. As it turned out, Isobel had nothing to buy but she just wanted to get out of the castle for a while. On the other hand, Harry restocked his supplies and then some from Zonko's. There was a flourishing Black Market in the castle which dealt with prank products. The twins made gold from that. They used the map to go out, purchase their supplies and later they would sell those products through the black market.

Harry came to know of it when he found them selling two dungbombs for the price of four. They quickly reached an agreement to cut Harry in for a third of the profits on anything they sold if he would bring the merchandise back from Zonko's.

Daphne true to her promise caused a severe dent in his money bag with all the shopping that she did. She literally squandered his gold in Honeydukes buying all sort of sweets then she dragged them to Tomes & Scrolls where she brought some story books she found interesting. After about an hour, they were done.

When they were returning, they had to run into a side alley to avoid running into Hagrid. It looked like he was going out for a drink to the village. When Hagrid had passed them, they returned to Honeydukes. From there it didn't take long for them to get back to the castle.

**The Hog's head**

Hagrid hailed the barman as he entered, "Abeforth, how're ya doin'?".

The barman banished a bottle of mead and a tankard to the half giant.

He was mid-way through making short work of the bottle of mead when another wizard joined him, "Mind if I sit here, my good fellow?"

Hagrid waved his dustbin lid sized hand, "Think nothing of it. Have a seat."

The other man presented his fat pudgy hand to Hagrid to shake, "Hello, I'm Aleric Stewart. I'm a magizoologist."

A magizoologist was something that Hagrid was interested in knowing. He liked beasts and magizoologists were his favorite type of people. He beamed at the man, "I'm Hagrid. I'm groundskeeper at Hogwarts."

The other man perked up in his seat, "You're Hagrid! I've heard from Amos Diggory that you know a lot about beasts. Would you like to tell me about a few of them?"

Hagrid agreed, "Sure would. Whaddya want ter know?"

The conversation went on about countless magical beasts. From this, Voldemort disguised as the stranger learned two things: that Hagrid could drink a lot before it really hit him and that Hagrid had a liking for monstrous and dangerous creatures. He'd like nothing better than to get a dragon egg of his own and raise it. He kept refilling Hagrid's tankard as the time went by with a refilling charm. When he gauged that Hagrid was far enough gone that he would remember nothing later, he brought the conversation around to what he really wanted to talk about.

Aleric asked, "I've wanted to study a Unicorn but they always elude me. I've wanted to see how their hide changes colours as they grow up but to my regret I can't find one."

Hagrid took a big gulp of the liquid from his tankard before he started to speak, "Them Unicorns. They're skittish creatures and they're swifter 'en horses. They can smell ya comin' a mile off. They won't be seen unless they want ta be seen. They don' like birds much 'cause they can just drop out of the sky without 'em ever seein' 'em."

The stranger asked him further, "I know that they like sugar cubes but what else do they like?"

Hagrid's speech was slurring and his eyelids were getting heavy from drinking too much, "Well, yer see, there's a couple o' acres o' alfalfa growin' on the nort' end o' the Forbidden Forest. They like grazin' there. If yer be wantin' some unicorn hair, their tails're always getting' snarled in them bramble bushes an' leavin' a few behind. Lovely creatures they are…" With that, Hagrid's head sank into his arms on the bar as he started snoring.

The stranger settled his tab with the barman and made his exit. He knew what he had to do now. Quirrell could not fly but Voldemort could. A scent masking charm was trivial. He berated himself for not thinking of that before. The alfalfa field would be good enough to find one of them. It wouldn't be long before he would be able to sink his teeth into one.

**Dueling Classroom**

It had been a few days since the unauthorized Hogsmeade excursion. Harry and Neville were excited to begin to learn spell chains. They knew that it was advanced magic, especially for wizards their age and to be able to pull it off was certainly going to be exciting. They wanted to learn everything they could from the Charms master so they could make their mark in the Tournament.

Flitwick began explaining, "A spell chain is not so much about power. It is about concentration, quick wand movement and practice. As you both know, a chain is made of links which are connected together. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. For a spell chain to work, it must be cast flawlessly, continuously and faster than thought. If you have to stop and think about each spell in the chain, the chain will break. That is why I have told you to drill those basic spells until you no longer have to think to cast them. If you have not yet reached that level of proficiency with your basic spells, you will only get frustrated trying to learn spell chains."

They nodded and he continued, "Now, I want you to think about the wand movements for your basic spells. The easiest spell chains are the ones where the end wand movement of one spell blends smoothly into the starting of the next wand movement." He gave them a minute to consider before he continued, "I want both of you to think about a simple spell chain. Don't dismiss any spell as irrelevant. Even a simple stinger can throw off your opponent and give you the edge you need to win a duel. Try to come up with a combination that will serve you well in a duel. When you're ready, we'll try them out on the practice dummies."

Harry and Neville were going over every spell that they remembered from their repertoire of spells which they had learnt with the charms teacher and with Remus. They were muttering the incantations under their breath and recalling the required wand motion for every spell they knew.

It took sometime before they came up with the simplest they could remember. Harry went first, "Professor a shield breaker, a stunner and incarcerous would be easy to put together."

Neville went second, "Leg lock jinx, bat bogey hex and a stunner would be an effective combo, Professor."

Flitwick nodded, "You're both right. These can be chained together with little trouble however I am afraid that you will need to keep at it for a long time before you can cast them fluently. Also a word of caution, never use the same chain twice in a duel. Don't use a spell chain at all unless there is no other way out of it for you. You'll want to keep an advanced ability like this a secret as long as you can."

They nodded, "Professor, what do you have planned for us after spell chains?"

Flitwick chuckled because he remembered how long it had taken him to master spell chains and he was considered to be a prodigy, "For now, work on your first spell chain. We'll work on progressively more difficult ones as we go along. Your success will depend on your speed, power, agility and creativity. Again, I caution you, never use the same trick twice in front of the same audience. If you won with it before, you can count on them figuring out a way to beat it the second time."

"Professor do we need to know advanced shields?", Neville asked.

The tiny professor shook his head, "I don't put much stock in shields of any sort. Dodging is pretty much always better. It doesn't drain your magical core and there's no risk of a chain led by a shield breaker taking you out. Besides, at your level of competition, advanced shields such as Protego Maxima are not needed before a spell such as stupefy. These spells can be stopped by a simple shield. Starting next year, I'll start teaching you selvio hexa which is a neat little trick and depends on the speed of the caster."

Harry asked him, "Professor which spells should we use to get a break through?"

"Most duelists tend to rely far too much on their shields during a duel. You can use a shield breaker. When you cast a spell chain, try to include a shield breaker in it. For the next few lessons, you will try to chain the spells together which you told me today. We will move to more complicated things when I am absolutely certain that you can do this spell chain without thinking."

With that he put them to work. He conjured dummies and asked them to cast spell chains at them. The dummies were immobile and would take the spell chains on themselves. They had to perfect their casting for now. Later Flitwick planned to increase the difficulty. These two needed to know as much as they could if they wanted to make their mark in the duelling ring.

**Great Hall**

Harry was returning to Gryffindor tower after dinner when Severus intercepted him, "Potter-Black."

Harry turned to face the dungeon bat and tried to put some respect in his tone, "Yes Professor Snape."

Snape curled his lip, "I know what you're doing."

Harry was apprehensive but kept a calm face and answered, "I don't understand what you mean, Professor."

Snape did a Malfoy-esque drawl, "I know that you've been dropping dungbombs in the dungeons."

Harry shook his head, "Professor, I didn't do it."

Snape sneered, "Don't try to act smart with me Potter-Black. Be grateful that I don't have any direct evidence or you would be on your way out of the school at this moment. I am warning you that if one more dung-bomb is set off in my dungeon, I will put you in detention with me for the rest of the year."

With that, the Dungeon Bat stalked off toward the Dungeons. Harry walked to the tower, all the time wondering who could have told on him. He was sure that Neville was not one to tell on him. Hermione was always around him so she could not have told him either. Ron hated the Dungeon Bat with all his heart. He wouldn't have gone to him to tell on Harry either. Isobel would not do that at least not knowingly. Perhaps Snape had looked in someone's mind without them knowing. He would have to alert his friends to this threat.

On one hand, the joke had gotten old long ago and it was disrupting classes. On the other hand, if the dung-bombings suddenly stopped when the dungeon bat threatened him, it would only confirm his suspicions. However was that really so bad? Ah well, He had better things to do with his time anyway. As soon as he could let Kreacher know, the dung-bombings would stop.

Harry wanted to take no chances with things coming to pass. He had already waited for a term. Anymore wait could be injurious to the plans they had for the future. This plan had been in the making for some time now. Harry had deliberated over it several times now. He had also conferred with his confidantes and they had polished every detail of it. He could not afford any distractions now, not when they were so close.

**The planning**

Harry sat with Neville and Daphne in the library that day to talk about what was going on. As always they had chosen a table in the back with the ward device on the table. If things went for the better, they would not need to be so secretive in their dealings anymore.

When he was sure that they would not be overheard, he said solemnly, "As you will both recall, we weren't going to put our plan into action until next year. Things here are worse than I thought. I think that we'd best get started on it now. I called the two of you here to ask you what you think."

Neville grinned, "Are you sure that we need to launch the plan now, Harry? I mean is this really the most opportune time? I only ask because I'd rather spend one more term doing pranks before we have to get down to business."

Daphne glared at him, "Be serious, Minion."

Harry chuckled, "He is my minion and his name is Neville not Sirius, Daph." Neville joined him in chuckling.

She glared at him too, "That Sirius Black is a bad influence on you both."

Harry raised his hands in a pacifying gesture, "I for one don't begrudge that Neville wants to wait for one more term, Daph. In fact, I was not of a mind to start it this year either, but when I talked with Lord Black recently, he made me realize that there is no time better than the present."

She raised an eye-brow, "So, when do we go public?"

He smirked, "As soon as I can get the right people together for a meeting. I want representatives of every house present. Due to reasons that we discussed earlier, you cannot represent Slytherin though. It will have to be someone else. I would prefer Adrian Pucey to be the representative for Slytherin house. We will have to work out the details though. There's a lot to be deliberated upon. I will remind you that we have to keep everything on the down-low. We don't want any of the teachers to get wind of what we're up to. If one word gets out, probably the entire castle will be put in detention."

Neville snorted, "You can't do without the drama, eh? Always the drama queen."

Harry huffed, "You just don't appreciate dramatic license, do you."

Daphne interceded before they could leave her out of the conversation, "you two idiots can whack each other over the head later. For now, can we concentrate on what we're here to do?"

Harry nodded, "Too right, Daph. When the time comes, I will ask a little favour of you to carry a letter to Pucey without anyone else knowing."

She nodded, "What about other details?"

He smirked, "Leave that to me. Our other friends have been lamenting that they have had nothing to do lately. They are going to get busy real soon."

**Forbidden forest**

Armed with the information from the oaf, Voldemort decided to try his luck in the meadow at the north end of the forbidden forest. Applying a disillusionment charm to himself, he flew high over the trees to reach that part of the forest faster than anyone could run. Flying suited him fine and this way he could avoid all the dangerous plants and creatures that inhabited the forest and hunted by night. Quirrell was dying by slow degrees from the effects of Voldemort's possession of him. Weakened as he was, he knew he was dying. He was fighting the control, knowing that he would die if he did not break free soon. Voldemort did not want to risk dividing his attention between keeping control of his vessel and dealing with petty annoyances and delays while he hunted a unicorn.

As he flew over the forest, he occasionally caught a glimpse of a creature through the gaps between the trees. He sighted some werewolves, a kappa, centaurs, a beast that looked like a demiguise and even a creature he only saw a flash of but he was sure that it was a chimera. He continued to soar silently towards the place where Hagrid had told him that the favorite fodder of the unicorns was found.

When he came to the place, he wanted to growl in frustration and curse Hagrid. It was true that the place was teeming with Unicorns but what the big oaf failed to tell him was that it was always guarded by those cursed half breeds. Centaurs prowled around the place, bows in hand and alert. Night was about to fall. He hoped that they would move away before he tried to down a Unicorn. If they didn't, maybe he would have to just kill them all. He would kill as many of these half breeds as he had to in his quest to dip his fangs into a Unicorn.

Remembering what Hagrid had told him about the unicorn's sense of smell he put anti-scent charms on himself and settled in to take mental notes on his prey and their protectors. He found a tree-branch to perch on that gave him a commanding view of the meadow. After about two hours, it was quite dark and only one lone centaur was left standing guard. Voldemort wouldn't even have to kill this one.

The only thing he had to do now was to wait for a unicorn to come there. He would wait even if he had to wait all night. He set a proximity ward around the place and started dozing off.

The ward woke him about three hours later. Someone or something was approaching the clearing. Before doing anything else, he drew his wand and refreshed the disillusionment and scent masking charms on himself. He spotted the lone centaur who was still on sentry duty. With his wand in hand, he watched and waited to see what happened next.

After about 5 minutes, he saw perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A fully grown Unicorn with a horn that was maybe 3 feet long, as white as light and agile as the wind was approaching. The beast did not charge in just like that but it took its time approaching that place. It would stop and cock its head around as if to see if some danger was lurking about. At times, it would raise its snout as if it were trying to sniff the air.

The beast kept at it for about 10 minutes which seemed like an eternity to Voldemort. To be so close and yet so far. What if the beast bolted? Voldemort wanted to just blast the beast with the killing curse and be done with it for tormenting him so, but a dead unicorn would be of no use to him. He would have to wait.

Finally the beast came into the clearing as the Centaur cajoled it to come forward. With a flick of the tail, the unicorn ambled out in plain sight and began grazing. With the beast occupied and far enough away from the trees that immediate escape would be impossible, it was time to act. Leaving the shelter of the branches, he carefully and quietly flew around behind the hapless centaur. With a single, high-powered stunner to the back of the head, the centaur would be taking a nap for a long time.

As the centaur fell, Voldemort had already flown towards the Unicorn. Sure enough, it understood what was going on. Predictably, the beast began to bolt, but Voldemort was too quick. His spell chain of stunner, Incarcerous and Petrificus Totalus found its mark. The unicorn fell, unconscious, bound in rope and stiff as any statue. The beast was otherwise unharmed, but that would soon change.

Voldemort levitated the beast and carefully but quickly walked deeper into the forest. When he was at a sufficient distance, he cast a cutter at the beast. The wound which he had caused squirted silver blood. The smell of blood incensed him. He put his mouth to the wound and drank greedily. As it made its way down his gullet, it gave him a sensation as if he had just taken a draught of rejuvenation.

The reaction soon followed. He fell to the forest floor, helpless with convulsions. It seemed to go on for hours but it was only a few minutes. While he was helpless, the unicorn, unnoticed, snorted one more time and died.

He knew that he had sealed Quirrell's fate. His host could not survive more than a few months unless he drank the blood of a unicorn again. It mattered little to Voldemort whether his vessel lived or not so long as he obtained the stone. For now, Quirrell was strong enough to continue with that quest and that was all that mattered to him. The blood had given this body strength, but not much. He would need to hunt again in a few days to gain more. He knew that the reaction would be less each time, but that mattered little. He would have gladly endured the reaction even if it got worse each time. The quest for the stone was all that he cared about. He would have to sustain this body until the job was done.

Looking at his handiwork, it occurred to him that he had to divert attention from why the unicorn was killed. He removed the tail and horn to make it look like the work of poachers who would trade the body parts on the black market in places like Knockturn Alley. Then he left the rest of the body to whatever scavengers inhabited the forest.

**A meeting**

When they met at breakfast the next day, Harry accosted Lisa and Michael, "I've heard that you two have been grumbling about having nothing to do."

Lisa nodded, "Your sources are reliable, Harry. We haven't had a prank yet this term. Do you have something in mind?"

Harry told her, "Would you carry a message from me to your house? Try to get this message to the right people and by right people I mean not to the prefects. Can you do that?"

Michael nodded, "Sure thing, Boss. What's the message?"

Harry turned to Susan, Hannah and Ernie, "I want the same favour from you. Take my message to your house."

The message was to have four representatives from each house to be present in a room on the sixth floor where a meeting would take place and there would be no firsties allowed. The meeting would change the dynamics in the school. This plan had been in the works for a long time but Harry had not thought to act on it until his second year. Certain things had happened which forced his hand early, but there was nothing for it.

He leaned closer to them and said, "This evening I will wait for your representatives. Tell them that secrecy is a must. If they violate it, they will incur the wrath of House Black for their lives. I do not take kindly to loose lips or traitors."

**Forbidden forest**

The centaurs found one of their number stunned and in the forest near the place where Unicorns came to graze. When he came around, he told them that the last thing he remembered was one of the unicorns beginning to graze around midnight and then nothing until they found him. That got them anxious.

They broke off and searched the forest. It didn't take long for one of them to find the body. It was a pathetic sight, bereft of horn and tail, having been nibbled on by the various scavengers. A flock of ravens scattered at the approach of the centaur. He kept vigil to keep the scavengers off while another one of them galloped off to tell Hagrid what they found.

A few minutes later, Hagrid and Dumbledore arrived. A number of the centaurs had formed a ring around the dead unicorn, partly to stand guard and partly to see what the humans would make of it. Hagrid examined the ground around the body through his tears while Dumbledore cast detection spells on the body. His visage grew darker with each spell he cast.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore turned to Hagrid, "What do you make of this?"

Hagrid answered, "It doesn't make sense, Headmaster. There're no unicorn tracks nor drag marks leading up to the body. There's no blood neither." Pointing to the wound he said, "There gotta be all kinds of it from that there wound, but nary a drop." He broke down and wept some more, "They dinna have ter do this. I got load loads o' unicorn tail hairs and even horns in me hut. They're all over the forest if ya know where to look. The horns'll grow back if ya don' kill 'em. They dinna have ter kill 'im."

Dumbledore reached up and patted the half-giant on the arm, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Hagrid. We'll figure out who did this." He turned to Bane, the current leader of the centaurs, "I know what you're thinking Bane, but this is not the work of poachers. No, this is worse. The despicable murderer of this noble creature did it to drink his blood. What's worse, unless I miss my guess whoever did it will have to do so again. The magical signature is so garbled that I cannot tell for sure who did it. Until we get to the bottom of this, may I suggest that none of your people go anywhere by themselves? I will ask Hagrid to increase the security of the forest and to find the perpetrator. Rest assured that I will get to the root of this matter."

Dumbledore understood the gravity of the situation and how dangerous things were becoming. The stone was not in immediate danger but Voldemort had started killing Unicorns. He already suspected that Tom had infiltrated the castle and his suspicions were on Quirrell. So far, he had no absolute proof, but Severus had been dogging his steps and had sustained injury twice already keeping Quirrell out of the room on the third floor. What's more is that he had to pause in his search for horcruxes. While the Philosopher's Stone was being guarded at Hogwarts, he could not go in search of them. There were a few places to investigate. Knowing Tom, those places would be guarded by the darkest of spells. Nobody that he knew had enough experience with Dark magic to be able to negate those spells and find those horcruxes.

In the meanwhile, Minister Bones had been working diligently to improve things in Wizarding Britain. She had slightly relaxed the requirements for Aurors so that they could recruit more. Anyone who had an E in defense and A Grade in potions along with requisite grades in other subjects could apply to become an Auror now. She was hopeful of filling the ranks to such a level that they would not be understaffed. She was also seriously considering bringing some of the retired Aurors back into service because even if a new batch arrived with the next month, it would take 3 years for them to graduate from the Auror Academy.

On the administrative side of things, she was planning to repeal legislations which favoured purebloods in matters of employment in the ministry simply because they were purebloods. She was intending to make it so that only those who deserved would be able to ascend to those positions based on their merits and prowess with a wand. The most visible impact would be on the Auror Department where more muggle-born and Half-bloods would be encouraged to apply. Being an Auror was considered a post of prestige and until recently only the purebloods or influential half-bloods need apply. No muggle born was chosen for the job. May be with the discrimination being at an end, the muggle born would be able to try and adapt themselves to the wizarding world rather than having to live in two worlds at once. It was well said that no one could ride two boats at a time.

**Hogwarts**

Daphne Greengrass found Adrian Pucey in the Common Room and went straight up to him, "Heir Pucey, do you have a moment?"

Adrian recognised the gesture and straightening himself, he asked, "Yes Heiress Greengrass, how can I serve you?"

He followed her out of the Common Room to a deserted room in the Dungeons. After Daphne was sure that they were alone and would be over-heard, she produced a letter for him, "This is a offer of friendship from Heir Black who want to have amicable relations with everyone who is someone in the Wizarding World. He wanted me to give it to you in private and secrecy would be appreciated."

He took the letter and Daphne walked out leaving him in.

That evening, in the appointed room on the sixth floor, representatives of every house were present for the meeting including Slytherin. Since the meeting was not meant for firsties, they were not allowed except for Harry who had called the meeting.

Attending from Gryffindor were Harry, the Twins and Oliver Wood, while from Ravenclaw were Davies, Hillard, Cho Chang and Green. Hufflepuff was represented by Appleby, Gwendoline Jones, Tintwistle and Diggory while Slytherin were represented by Pucey, Bletchley, Bole and Higgs. These were members of the neutral faction on the Wizengamot so Pucey considered them to be the safest bet to invite.

When they had all arrived, Harry stood up to address them, "I know I am just a firstie, but I hope that you will all hear me out anyway. What I want to speak to all of you about this evening has been planned for some time. A while ago, I asked my guardian, Lord Black, why it is that Gryffindor and Slytherin fight all the time. He told me that we have lots in common, that we were once close allies but something happened which drove a wedge between the two houses. This happened so long ago that the details are lost to history. I say that it is high time that we stopped feuding over issues in which we have no part and for which even the oldest of us cannot remember the reasons. This school is not the whole world. When we graduate from here, we will be dealing with one another, in life, in business, regardless of what house we happened to be in for our seven years here. For my part, as a Gryffindor, I want to extend an olive branch to the house of Slytherin if you will accept it. Of course, there's always going to be some rivalry between houses, some healthy competition, but let's use that as it was originally intended to be. That is to push ourselves to be the very best that we can be."

Pucey who had been nominated to speak for Slytherin said, "I get what you're saying, Harry, but how do we encourage competition without it getting ugly?"

Harry beamed at Pucy, "I'm glad you asked. I propose a competition. The prize will be 500 Galleons, a purse that I will provide myself. Instead of this being a competition between houses, it will instead be between hand-picked teams, the members of which can be from any house. The entire competition will be secret. Only the people in this meeting will know about it. It will not be Quidditch or broom racing entirely but a mixture of events. Are you all in?"

The offer was tempting and his intentions behind it were good but they did not understand how it could achieve the desired result. What they did not know was that it was only one of several things planned and each thing carried money along with the thrill of adventure.

After they had all deliberated, Pucey asked, "How will we decide the teams?"

Harry smirked again, "Had you noticed that there are 4 of us from each house?"

Oliver understood it instantly and said, "I see. So how do we make teams?"

One of the twins produced a handful of straws, "We'll draw straws for team captains. When we have four captains, they'll draw straws again for picking order. Fair enough?"

It was Pucey who drew the longest straw. He got to choose first. The second was Oliver. The third was Gwendoline. The final team captain was Hillard.

Pucey got to choose first. With bated breath, Harry waited to see if he would select those belonging to his house or from different houses.

Pucey did not disappoint him when he opened his mouth and said, "I choose Hadrian Potter-Black."

Oliver groaned in disappointment but it was his turn. "I choose Cedric Diggory."

Gwendoline did not waste a moment in making her choice, "I choose Fred Weasley."

Hillard took the last Gryffindor, "I choose George Weasley."

There was a moment of confusion as they had to sort out which twin was which. It was only when Harry threatened to remove them that they stood beside their teammates all the while muttering.

Pucey's other choices were Appleby and Chang. Oliver chose Green and Bole. Jones chose Davies and Higgs while Hillard got Bletchley and Tintwistle.

After the team selections were done, Harry started to address them again, "You were all invited because you own brooms and you are all good at Quidditch. There will be four events to this competition. The rules for each event will be stated later. The first will be about a month from now. It will involve an excursion into the Forbidden forest."

That got him a gasp from others and incredulous looks from the twins. They thought that they had already won it, but they were in for the surprise of their lives. The competition would require team effort and they would either learn from it or they would hate each other for the rest of their lives.

**Gringotts**

Arcturus was sitting before the Black Account Manager with Remus and Sirius. He had told them that he was getting old and he wanted the two men to shoulder the responsibility of the family and its holdings. They both had agreed to do his bidding but neither of them was ready to believe that Arcturus was old enough to retire.

When they reached the bank, Arcturus did not stop at the counter. He simply walked toward the office of his account manager. When they reached his office they were promptly admitted and given seats. After they made themselves comfortable, Arcturus asked him, "What do you have for me?"

The goblin nodded, "Lord Black, as you had instructed I have purchased a potion making company which solely deals with manufacturing of Wolfsbane. Since you had not given me further instructions, I have not done any restructuring or anything else with it."

Arcturus nodded, "Alright. Have that partnership contract ready for Mr. Belby offering him 40% partnership in the new venture. Have it expressly stated that he does not bring any capital to it but only his expertise. The scope of his duties is to supervise the potion masters, to conduct further research on the potion and may be find a cure for Lycanthropy. Also, he shall be responsible for expansion of our line of products with the passage of time and we will deal only with those potions which are not readily available in market but require special skills. I do not intend for this business to remain a charity but earn me gold since lots of gold will go into production and distribution. I want to make at least marginal profits out of it which will be reinvested into research promptly."

The goblin nodded, "It will be done, Lord Black. Are there any further instructions for me?"

Arcturus nodded, "Tell me about the state of holdings of The Daily Prophet and other similar publications. How much of it is privately owned?"

The goblin consulted some parchments before he answered, "About 40% of its shares are privately owned between the Ancient and Most Noble houses while 30% of it is owned by the English Printing Press and the rest is owned by the Ministry."

Arcturus nodded, "How much is in the hands of House of Black and Potter?"

"Of the 40% shares that are held privately, House of Black and Potter own about 15% together while the rest are evenly distributed between House of Longbottom, House of Bones, House of Malfoy and House of Macmillan etc."

Arcturus nodded, "I want controlling interest of that publication. Look into purchasing stock from every possible source until I have it. Look into purchasing from the Ministry and the Press first. Not only is it a steady income stream, I also want to keep them honest."

The goblin nodded, "Was there anything else, Lord Black?"

"I want you to find opportunities where we can heavily invest in some businesses which would yield us significant returns. Also, please ready papers for a new business which is related with Enchanting. Sirius here has a proclivity towards enchanting. I believe he would do well to take it up as a regular occupation."

Sirius was looking at him in wonder and found his voice with some difficulty, "How did you know?"

Arcturus smirked, "I've seen the motorcycle, how much you enchanted it to work with magic. I daresay I was pleased with the work that went into it. I think it would be good for you to take it up as a vocation. It will keep you busy apart from bringing in a lot of money."

Then he turned to the Goblin again, "Now, do you have the agreement ready which I wanted you to draft?"

The goblin produced a stack of parchments which he took and riffled through. After satisfying himself with the contents of the document, he passed it to Remus, "I want you to read it and sign. Remember I am not taking no for an answer."

Remus read the entire document and asked in disbelief, "Why do we need this? I am already working as Lord Regent for House Potter. As it is you already pay me handsomely. I can't possibly take anymore."

Arcturus growled, "This is not kindness boy. You will earn every bit of gold I am squandering on you by working hard. Whatever I paid you until now was in an unofficial capacity but this is your new job. I want you to work alongside Mr. Belby and ensure that the business succeeds. It is a huge responsibility. As to your place of residence, you are free to live at the Townhouse or the country estate which James had left for you in his will."

**Hogwarts**

Two days later, there was another meeting at the same place but with different sets of people. These were people that the twins had found who claimed themselves to be pranksters. There were the Gryffindor Pranksters who were the biggest contingent as always. There was also a fair share from other houses. The contingent of Slytherin was led by Bole who was reputed to have skill to rival the twins. He was backed up by three of his peers namely the heir of Fawley, the heir of Du Vant and the heiress of Griffith. The Ravenclaws came under Sean Murphy. He was accompanied by Agnes Reid, Esmeralda Vasquez and Shikhar Gupta. The hufflepuffs were there under the banner of Diggory, Abercrombie, Harriet Kelson and Wilson Rogers.

The twins took the lead on this one. Harry had briefed them and wanted to take the backseat this time. Fred started speaking with George occasionally putting in, "Welcome all you fine folks to this gathering of pranksters in residence. Though undoubtedly we are the best, we give credit where credit is due. This meeting is called because although we are the best, this competition will give us the chance to prove it while at the same time allowing all of you to showcase your talents. We will form teams. We will then give tasks to those teams. Whichever team gets the highest amount of points at the end will win 100 Galleons as the prize. So do you all agree?"

Bole asked, "What is Potter-Black doing here?"

The twins grinned, "Little Harry is part of the Gryffindor team. You can pick team members from other houses or you can ally with teams of other houses, if you so wish."

Teams were immediately formed with members of same houses. The twins continued, "So now that the Teams are formed, you need to know the rules. The first rule is that you cannot snitch on other teams. Second, you will not try to stop other teams from fulfilling their tasks and most importantly you will not cheat in any way. Cheating will result in getting banned from the competition. You can solicit help from others if you wish to."

When everyone agreed to the terms, the twins said, "Now the first task. I know it can be hard and if you decide not to participate, your only penalty is that you will not earn any points for that task. The task is to infiltrate Filch's office and retrieve the drawer full of detention records from the year 1975-76. The team that successfully retrieves the records and returns here first will win the first round. Is that agreeable?"

They nodded and the meeting was dismissed. Meanwhile, Harry was thinking of other ways that they could encourage students to mingle together. There was another way though that would require a bold move on his part. May be he could try to become the first Lion who braved sitting with the Snakes for breakfast. There were so many things that he could do like challenging them for wizard chess matches depending on Ron's prowess. Ron would be elated to have beaten the snakes and may be that would thaw the ice. He could hope for a time eventually where people would be more amicable towards each other. While he could do nothing about the marked ones, he could definitely work on the children of death eaters.


	16. Chapter 16

**More plans**

They had set the conditions of the prank competition between them but the task in itself was a hard one. The first task was to steal records of past detentions from the office of the caretaker. Not every one of them knew Filch was a squib so they were not sure what kind of protection they would find in his office. For those who thought Filch was a wizard, they would be cautious in dealing with him but those who knew what he was would have no problem getting the job done. They would just have to manipulate some people and the rest would be done by them.

While Filch's office was a generally harmless place, Harry had plans to stop other teams from winning. The deadline was set to be a week from the day the competition was announced. Harry told them the rules and one of them said that the teams could not stop other teams from carrying out the tasks. Another rule said that they could enlist help from others. At no point did Harry forbid that the help could take the form of stopping or stalling other teams, so long as that help was coming from someone outside the competition. Now, that was being highly divisive, but he was raised by Lord Black who never had any qualms in getting what he wanted no matter the means. Harry also had the perfect person in mind to do it.

There was another event that he was thinking of organizing and for that he would need Ron's help. Ron had started to work hard since the beginning of the second term. He was making an effort in his homework but he, unlike his brothers, wasn't on good terms with many. He rarely talked with anyone who was not in Gryffindor but he had given up his intolerance of people from other houses. He had realized that Hogwarts was but a school where they would stay for 7 years. Beyond the hallowed castle they had long lives where they would run into each other quite often. It would not do for them to snipe at each other at every opportunity.

Ron, as he often did in his spare time, was sitting at a game of chess with Jordon who was losing badly yet could not let go of it. Harry asked him, "Ron, do you have a moment?"

Ron, who had not removed his eyes from the chess set for a second, raised a finger, "Just a moment, Harry. Lee's bishop is about to be slaughtered."

True to his word, the next moment he had killed Lee's bishop. Even though the game was still in its early stages, it was clear to Harry that Ron already had Lee pinned down ten different ways. Lee took his time, considering his moves, but each time he moved a piece, Ron responded the moment his opponents hand left his piece. It wasn't long before Ron moved a rook and called, "Checkmate.". Lee's king responded by throwing its crown down on the board.

He gave a huge grin to Lee, "That makes five in a row, Lee. Do you want to make it best six out of eleven?"

Harry hastily attracted his attention, "Mate, you can beat him up later. I have to talk to you right now."

"What do you want Harry?", Ron asked him.

"Ron, I couldn't help but hear that there are a few players in other houses who brag that they are very good at chess. Naturally, I told them that they don't stand a chance against you. They challenged your prowess, making remarks about your ancestry and the like. I hope that you don't mind that I accepted a few challenges on your behalf?", Harry asked innocently.

Ron was thoughtful for a few moments before he agreed, "Not at all, Harry. I'll take them all on but I won't use new chess pieces. I want my own pieces to play with."

Harry asked him in confusion, "Why is that? I mean your chess pieces look battered and very old. I sure can get you new ones."

Ron grinned, "How much Wizard chess have you played, Harry? As the pieces grow older, they start to trust the player rather than trying to assert their own will. If I were to use a new chess set, I would have to break in the pieces, teaching them how I play before they would start obeying me. I don't have that problem with this set because I know the chess pieces and they know me."

Harry wondered, "Do you mean to say that if I were to give you a new chess set tomorrow, you would lose?"

Ron shook his head, "Not likely, Harry. I mean I still know how to play, but it might turn into a contest of wills with the pieces and I just don't need the distraction."

Harry nodded, "Alright mate. There is one more thing about it though. You may have to play against a Slytherin or two."

Ron grinned, "Fine by me. I have no problem with playing against them. I might even learn a thing or two, eh?"

Harry grinned, "That's the spirit Ron."

The chess event was one which would not even need to be organized in secret. They could hold it in the Great Hall and no one would bat an eye-lid. Harry however thought that talking about it to Dumbledore beforehand wouldn't go amiss. The headmaster would definitely encourage any such attempts to foster unity amongst the warring houses.

**Head master's Office**

Dumbledore was worried. The killing of a Unicorn was a most serious matter. It was a sin of the highest degree with the ramifications being great. He had learned that the blood of Unicorn which flowed could curse the land. So far, he was grateful that nothing was discovered of the sort when he inspected the unicorn killed recently. He had only guesses as to the identity of any suspects. His guesses were generally correct, perhaps the cost of being a genius with a veritable sense of understanding as he did. Since Arcturus Black had told him that Tom had made horcruxes, Albus knew that there was a tough time ahead.

The only thing he could do was to keep Voldemort from gaining a body. There were only a handful of ways that Tom could do that. One was to get his hands on the Philosopher's stone. Having been forewarned, he had already thwarted one attempt. That's right; the vault at Gringotts had already been emptied earlier that same day. The other way was a gruesome, arcane necromantic ritual. Albus knew that the ritual was a ghastly one and that it involved murder. Then there was the third ritual which revolved around blood and gore including a necromantic potion which was meant to renew, revive and resurrect.

Thankfully Albus had the stone in his possession now. It had a number of protections beginning with a marvellous three-headed beast. Even Albus didn't know how the beast could be tamed. He suspected that no one in Britain actually knew about it except Hagrid. He had been told by the Greek Chap who had sold it to him. When he had erected protections for the stone, he had not confided in anyone except Minerva and Severus about the thing they were supposed to be protecting but just that he needed for them to put some serious protections in place that if they could not disable the intruder, they would at least slow them on their way to the stone. All the protections had been designed that way and that was the reason that he could not leave the castle for extended periods of time. Whenever he went out of the castle for the Wizengamot or any other errand, he would ask Severus to keep an eye on the beast to be sure that no one was able to get in.

To his amusement, he had found that Hadrian Potter-Black and his group of friends had discovered the beast and they were hot on the trail. It would be interesting to see if they would be able to find the stone at all. He had done nothing to encourage or discourage them.

He had discovered quite by accident that young Harry was on the trail of the beast. Madam Pince had complained to him that at times she could not see where one of the tables in the library disappeared off to. Albus knew that the magic of the castle was sentient but not so much as to play tricks on the staff. His curiosity got the better of him and he decided to investigate the matter.

He was under his strongest disillusionment charm and prowled the library all day long for four days before he found what was happening. He sensed a ward being raised in the library and his detection spells found it was a simple notice-me-not ward. Curious to find what was happening, he stalked further. He found the most curious sight when he was able to bypass the ward. There were ways to bypass a simple notice-me-not ward without tearing it down and Dumbledore had no problem bypassing it. When he finally went past the wards, he had found the most interesting sight- Hadrian Potter Black was sitting with Neville Longbottom and Daphne Greengrass in the library and they were talking about the beast on the third floor. He had heard about young Harry's account of encountering the beast but he was more amazed with the fact that the two first year Gryffindors were actually intimately familiar with a Slytherin student. His senses indicated that something grand was at play here with the three meeting in secret and scheming of all things. It wasn't until later that he realized that he and everyone else was being taken for a ride by Arcturus Orion Black.

The house of Black was perhaps the most influential house by reason of being related to all the Ancient houses such as Weasley, Longbottom, Crouch, Prewett, Potter and so on. They practically behaved as royals when they were out in public. Their manners and deportment had always been a subject of interest and intrigue. Most of them had an aura of haughtiness around them which attracted others to them. For the most part, they all sought power. Arcturus Orion Black was no exception to the rule. He had made his coalition powerful on the Wizengamot when he regularly attended those sessions. He had the knack of making decisions at times which were for the betterment of his family or for his interests. Contrary to Albus's expectations, he had joined the Longbottom and Potter Alliance when they fought against Grindelwald, though Albus doubted if Lord Longbottom knew anything about it. Then Arcturus had ruled the dark faction with an iron will and remained their leader until Voldemort came along and Arcturus Orion Black with his sometimes friend sometimes foe Abraxas Malfoy had become irrelevant due to being replaced by one with more drastic views about blood supremacy and dreams of grandeur for the pureblood elite. How ironic that the "Dark Lord" that all these pure bloods were toadying to was himself a half-blood, conceived under questionable circumstances.

His musings were broken when he heard the Gargoyle refusing entrance to someone who didn't have the password. From the sound of it, it was a student. He was pretty insistent that the Gargoyle step aside and let him in. The gargoyle, as it was its job, refused to step aside and insisted on the password to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was interested with whatever the newcomer had to say and waved his wand once; following which the Gargoyle leapt aside grunting, "Go on in! The headmaster is waiting for you."

When the door to his office opened, Albus came face to face with the new comers who were Hadrian Potter-Black and Neville Longbottom.

He beamed at them, "Come in Harry and Neville. Please be seated."

As they took seats across from him, he asked, "What brings the two of you here?"

Glances were exchanged between them before Harry started speaking, "Professor recently I had asked a question of my guardian and he could not answer it. Would you like to give it a try?"

Albus encouraged him, "Ask your question, Harry. I will answer it if I can."

"Professor since I arrived at the school, I have seen that, despite being similar in so many ways, the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin do not mingle with each other. In fact I sense there is some sort of rivalry between them which, according to me, is stupid. I appreciate healthy competition but what exist between the two houses seems more like a feud. I asked Lord Black about it but he said that he does not know the reason why. Can you shed some light on the matter?"

Dumbledore smiled, "There is a story behind it which I would tell you gladly but before we get to it, please tell me if you have tried to befriend a Slytherin student since you came to the school?"

Harry shook his head, "No professor. I have tried to talk to a few of them but no one of them ever speaks civilly with us. I don't know why they wouldn't like to be friends with us."

Dumbledore mentally snorted. The lad was technically telling the truth. The only way to reconcile that with the facts, as the Headmaster knew them was that they must have been friends before they arrived at the school. These first year students actually thought that they were successfully fooling the entire castle including Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Well, if they wanted to play it this way, Albus was not going to spoil it for them. He also tried a very light nudge of his legilimancy probe on Harry and found that there were some solid mental shields in place and he was excited with this. The boy had already learned a useful skill which would be handy to him when Albus decided to start teaching him however that time was not yet. For now he needed to keep the stone safe.

Also the question had caught him by surprise. In all his years as a student and then headmaster no one had ever asked this question of him nor had any students tried to find the answer to it. No Gryffindor and Slytherin student had ever become friends with each other or tried to bridge their gaps. A few couples of Gryffindor and Slytherin had formed but that only happened after they left Hogwarts coincidentally except for young Harry's grand-parents Charlus and Dorea but nobody knew of their affair until they came into the open with it. The only friendship between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor which he had seen happening was between Lily Evans and Severus Snape. But, they also knew each other before they had come here. With time Albus knew their friendship was going to end due to the company that Severus kept. Albus had also tried to find the answer to this question but had found no plausible story which would justify the hatred between the houses.

He decided to tell what little he knew. He turned to the duo, "Nobody really knows for sure. What I am about to tell you is largely based on speculation and circumstance. When Hogwarts was established, Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin sought students for their houses. The students that they usually preferred were similar in the characteristics sought by them. As time passed and some of the students were lured by evil and they decided to use everything that they learned for the propagation of evil. The Gryffindors who were usually the first to resist the advance of evil clashed with the Slytherins but mercifully it had not come into the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. With the passage of time as more and more people fell under the shadow of evil, the previous camaraderie ended and they became sworn enemies. Then came the time when wizards and witches were being persecuted by muggles all around. I am sure you both have heard about the middle-ages and the witch burnings."

Harry shook his head, "No Headmaster. We haven't heard about it. All Professor Binns ever teaches us about is the goblin revolts."

Dumbledore chuckled, "I guess you make a fair point however we digress here. When the International Statute of Secrecy was signed to protect muggles and magical folk from each other, we had to go into hiding. Most of the Slytherins felt that it was wrong for us to go into hiding fearing muggles and they started muggle baiting. As clashes between muggles and wizards increased, some of the leaders in the wizarding world decided to face the threat head on and not surprisingly, most of them were Gryffindors. As time passed, the rivalry became a sort of tradition and seeped into the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. But I believe that if Gryffindors were to successfully extend an olive branch to the Slytherins, they would be formidable together."

Harry nodded, "Thank you Headmaster. You have been most helpful to us."

Dumbledore smiled, "it is always a pleasure to educate young minds, my boy. You are welcome to ask questions anytime you feel like it."

**Black Townhouse**

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were sitting before Lord Black who had summoned them. He wanted to talk to them about their future since he felt in his bones that he did not have much time before he would see Melania again. He had realized most of his desires when he rescued Harry Potter from the muggles had been fulfilled. He had an heir in place, his grandson was free and his family was complete now. The only thing left for him to do was to see to the end of Voldemort who was responsible for the destruction of his family. But he knew that he didn't have that much time. He had committed the secret of the horcruxes to Dumbledore who admittedly was the shrewdest of anyone else Arcturus knew. He also knew the boy who became Voldemort later in life. He would be able to find the horcruxes and destroy them in time. If he failed, the wizarding World would be in for another war. Mercifully Amelia was at the helm of affairs. She had sufficient time to see that the wizarding world was ready for another war and the utter destruction of the death eater menace. Also his heir, his secret weapon was ready to unleash on the children of death eaters and lead them away from the pureblood tripe so that they would not follow their fathers foolishly. If the wizarding world did not embrace the muggle-born, it would die a slow death.

"Grand-father you called for us?", Sirius asked him.

He nodded, "I have been noticing that you and Moony are restless with having nothing to do. As I had promised, I have obtained a license for a business of enchanting. I have seen your work on the motor cycle and I was very impressed but there is a lot about enchanting that you need to learn before you will be properly prepared to run a business successfully. To that end, I have obtained an apprenticeship for you with a technomancer in Germany who has agreed to teach you enchanting for the next 5 months. By the time you return, you will be ready to set up shop. In the meanwhile, I have to get the ministry to soften its stance on the topic and to relax the laws a little. You will leave the day after tomorrow and you will learn everything diligently. Is that clear?"

Sirius knew there was nothing that he could say that would change Arcturus's mind. The old man was very headstrong and never liked to have his wishes defied. If he wanted something done then he would see that it was done. He nodded, "yes grandfather. I will do as you ask of me."

Arcturus then turned to Moony, "Potter Potions will be ready to start functioning in a month and you will be the one responsible for its affairs. In your duty as the executive of this company you have to tour around the world and secure supplies of hard to find ingredients. Your other duty would be to see to it that the company is working as a flawless organism and to help Mr. Belby as he requires of you. He will mostly concern himself with research on new potions and particularly on improving the Wolfsbane. He has been tinkering with some other things that he thinks would be able to cure lycanthropy. As per the agreement, any such technique that he devises will be patented in the name of Potter Potions with Mr. Belby being entitled to receive 50% of the net profits we would make on the sale of the products. I have arranged for him to receive a stipend to tide him over until his share of the business provides him with the necessities of life, at a reasonable rate of course. Also do remember that we are not going to engage in the manufacture of ordinary potions or any of those potions which are manufactured by Greengrass Potions since they are our allies and I have no intention to hurt their commercial interests. Our agreement with them about supplying them ingredients from our Greenhouses will continue as it always has done. Is that clear?"

Remus nodded, "yes Lord Black. It is agreeable. When do I leave on my first buying trip?"

Arcturus smirked, "you'll be leaving with Sirius since the first stop will be Germany. It will take you about two months to complete your tour and return after you have engaged some decent suppliers for us. If you find any rare potions on your travels don't forget to collect the recipe for it and a sample. You'll get a reasonable share of the profits of any such find."

Remus tried to interject, "Lord Black..."

Arcturus barked, "I'm not doing any kindness to you, boy. You have always been very diligent towards your duties without asking anything in return. You didn't even marry anyone fearing that it would interfere with taking care of Harry. Find someone for yourself. It's never too late."

**Hogwarts**

To shake up the order of things, Harry chose to sit at the Slytherin table this morning. After a good, long run around the lake, he and Neville arrived at the Great Hall while breakfast was underway. Predictably Ron and Hermione had kept seats for them but Harry motioned for Neville to follow him.

Every one watched the two as they strode toward the Slytherin table, making a deliberate show of it making sure that everyone was following them with their eyes. Isobel stood up from her place at the Ravenclaw table to join them as they reached the Slytherin table beside Adrian Pucey.

Harry tapped him on the shoulder, "buzz over, Pucey. Make space for us."

As they sat, they could see every one's eye was upon them. At the staff table, Snape was frothing at the mouth with his lips curled upwards in a sneer, Dumbledore's lips were twitching ready to break into a grin as he was hiding it behind a goblet. McGonagall's face was stoic as ever however her eyes showed intrigue. Pomona Sprout was watching interestedly while Flitwick was indifferent since he had started to know the boys better than most of the teachers.

As Harry, Neville and Isobel slipped in beside Pucey, Flint who was sitting a few spaces down from him shouted, "What do you think you're doing Potter- Black?"

Harry looked at him in disdain, "Heir Flint, is that the way your father has taught you to speak to the heir of an Ancient and Most Noble House? As to your question, I am sitting beside my friends and trying to eat my breakfast."

Malfoy who was sitting at the end nearest to the staff table shouted, "Potter-Black, this is not the Gryffindor table."

Harry looked at him contemptuously, "oh Cousin Draco, I was under the impression that you can read a book."

This comment made most of them in the vicinity laugh however Malfoy was turning red in the face, "What do you mean?"

Harry turned to Dumbledore, "Headmaster is it written anywhere in the rules that a student can't eat at other house tables? As far as I know, we are obliged to sit at our house tables only during the welcoming and leaving feasts and any feasts which may fall in between."

Dumbledore whose eyes were twinkling like two miniature suns, said jovially, "You have heard right, Mr. Potter-Black. There is nothing in the Hogwarts charter rules against sitting at other tables during non-feast meals."

Snape drawled, "Still Potter-Black can't sit at the Slytherin table. He will corrupt my students."

McGonagall snorted, "Spare me the sermon, Severus. Your students don't need anyone to corrupt them."

Snape sneered, "Of course Minerva! You would think so. After all, it is your precious Lion and they can't do any wrong."

Before McGonagall could retort, Dumbledore intervened, "There is no need to fight among ourselves, Severus and Minerva. Mr. Potter-Black can sit wherever he chooses. In fact, for his attempts to increase camaraderie between the houses, I award twenty points apiece to him, Mr. Longbottom and Miss McDougall."

After the teachers stopped squabbling, Adrian turned to Harry, "So Harry, what's the real reason for this? I don't think that it's for showing camaraderie, as Dumbledore claims."

Harry smirked and slapped Pucey on the back, "Spoken like a true Slytherin, Adrian. Of course I have ulterior motives behind this act. As they say, 'A true Slytherin never reveals his secrets.'".

Adrian chuckled, "A true Slytherin indeed. I guess we mistook you for a Gryffindor just because you wear Red and Gold."

The breakfast passed swiftly with them talking about inconsequential things however Harry kept an eye on everyone's reaction to his presence at the Slytherin table. A few were not pleased with him but others looked like they were willing to give a chance to befriending the boy-who-lived.

He also noticed Daphne who kept her expressionless face in place while Tracy tried to talk to her. He figured that Tracy was trying to ask her what Harry was up to.

Isobel poked him in the ribs and asked him in a whisper, "So Harry, is this another of your attempts at gaining power in the school?"

He kept his facial features schooled into an impassive expression, "I don't know what you're talking about Isobel."

She smirked evilly, "Remind me to talk about it later and I'll tell you what I meant."

To Harry's woe, the first class that day was Potions and Snape was in a foul mood. He was having them brew the wiggenweld potion. It required extreme care and even a moment's lapse of concentration could lead to failure.

Also Snape probably figured that breaking him and Neville up would work in his favour. As they all entered, he started instructing them, "To promote the spirit of friendship and camaraderie that was exuded in the Great Hall this morning, I have decided to team students together from both the houses. For the rest of the term, you will sit as per this arrangement."

He then started calling out arrangements, "Lavender Brown with Vincent Crabbe, Hermione Granger with Blaise Zabini, Ronald Weasley with Lilith Moon, Hadrian Potter- Black with Tracy Davis, Fay Dunbar with Theodore Nott, Ellia Runcorn with Draco Malfoy, Parvati Patil with Gregory Goyle, Seamus Finnigan with Pansy Parkinson, Dean Thomas with Milicent Bulstrode and Neville Longbottom with Daphne Greengrass."

As they all scrambled to find their partners, Tracy found Harry pretty easily and grinned at him, "so it looks like we are stuck together in this Harry."

Harry grinned, "yeah but it also puts you in the line of fire with Snape."

Snape who was at the head of the class said a little loudly, "Quiet! Today we are going to learn to brew the Wiggenweld Potion. Who can tell me about this?"

Harry raised his hand and so did Hermione with a few others. Snape deliberately chose not to see any of them and drawled, "Looks like you dunderheads have learned nothing about this potion before coming to this class."

Hermione said, "Please sir, the Wiggenweld potion is a powerful healing potion that can be used to heal injuries or reverse the effects of sleeping draught. It is a potion which requires a delicate balance of concentration and deft handling of the ingredients since a moment's lapse of concentration can ruin the potion, meaning one would have to start again."

"Five points from Gryffindor", he announced, "You were not asked to answer the question, Miss Granger."

Ron said indignantly, "You took points from her because she answered your question? That is outrageous."

"Detention Weasley, this evening at 8:00 my office and 5 points from Gryffindor for talking back to a teacher."

Ron tried to protest more but Lilith Moon kicked him under the table. He glared at her but at that moment, Snape had moved past.

"So as the insufferable know-it-all Miss Granger said, this potion requires extreme concentration and deft handling of potion ingredients. The recipe is on the black board. You have 45 minutes. You may begin."

Harry wanted to protest against Snape's treatment of Hermione however he decided to let go of it for the moment. The Wiggenweld potion required extreme concentration and failure was not an option.

As he prepared his workstation, Tracy assisted him. Looking around the room, they both realized that not all of the teams were working so well together. As she lined up the ingredients, Harry set a fire burning under the cauldron and erected an anti-tampering ward around it. It was a good thing that his first teacher had taught this to him because as soon as he had started to work, a lionfish spine bounced harmlessly off the anti-tampering ward around the cauldron. He looked around to find Draco who was frowning that his efforts were futile.

As he poured Dittany into the cauldron and added Wiggentree bark to it while stirring it, he kept an eye on the other students in the dungeon. He noticed that Lavender was struggling with her work because the gorilla Crabbe was being unhelpful to her. He was just gaping like an idiot while Lavender worked on the potion. Parvati was having trouble asking Goyle to assist her in the brewing. Goyle either could not distinguish one ingredient from another or was being purposefully daft as he kept mixing up the ingredients. Fay was working by herself and spurned Nott's attempts to help her. As he arranged the ingredients, she said something to him under her breath that made him go red in the face. Lilith Moon was clueless about what to do so Ronald was doing the brewing while she took care of the ingredients. Hermione was working in perfect synchronization with Zabini who was helping her with the brewing. Seamus Finnigan was haranguing with Parkinson who looked offended for some reason. Dean worked coolly with his potion. It looked like Bulstrode was trying to be helpful. Neville looked perfectly at home with Daphne working beside him.

"5 points off Gryffindor for wasting time, Potter-Black.", said Snape who had just come up towards their table. "If you were not so busy looking at others perhaps you would have made better progress with your own potion."

Harry turned to glare at the Dungeon Bat who looked back at him, daring him to talk back. Disappointing him, Harry went to work on his potion while resolving to pay him back in some form. He had intentionally teamed them together hoping they would bungle brewing their potions.

He was diligently working on his potion when he heard Snape tormenting Neville, "Asking Miss Greengrass to do all the work, Longbottom? I should have known. 5 points off Gryffindor."

To their credit, Neville and Daphne did not speak a word. Harry however was keeping track of all the point deductions and was going to McGonagall as soon as the lesson was over.

As he was mid-way through his potion, he heard a mighty crash and there was Lavender straddling Crabbe's chest pummelling him with her fists while her hairs were drenched in yellow goo which he figured was her failed potion.

Snape sent a banishing charm at the pair of them separating them and thundered, "5 points off Gryffindor, Miss Brown. Now pick yourself up and go to the infirmary. Detention this evening at 8:00, my office."

Crabbe followed suit and they were left in peace again. It was just a few minutes later that there was a mighty boom and a cauldron exploded drenching Pansy Parkinson in unfinished potion who was screaming like a Banshee. As opposed to what it was supposed to do, it changed her skin tone to a nasty green colour while Seamus had his face blackened with soot.

Snape roared, "5 points off Gryffindor Finnigan and detention this evening at 8:00 in my office. Now take Miss Parkinson to the infirmary."

Tracy was snickering, "Snape is on a roll today."

Mercifully the lesson was over soon without any more accidents. Harry submitted a vial of their work with his and Tracy's name on it. As soon as they had left the dungeons, they all started laughing uproariously.

Neville, who could hardly catch his breath between gusts of laughter, said, "What a lesson. If Snape has one more lesson like that I swear he will have a riot on his hands."

On the other hand, Hermione looked grim. Harry turned to her, "Hermione you must come with us to Professor McGonagall and complain about his behavior."

Her eyes were filled with tears, "I can't do that. He's a teacher."

Harry spoke firmly to her, "Hermione, teacher or not, he is a bully who is using his authority to abuse students. If we do not complain, he will go on abusing students. If you will not come willingly and make a complaint to our head of house, Professor McGonagall, I will take you there even if I have to drag you there."

The mental image of Harry dragging Hermione by the shoulders to McGonagall's office while she protested was enough to set everyone laughing.

Harry next turned to Ron, "I noticed you were going to oppose Snape and you stopped when Moon said something to you. What did she say?"

Ron turned slightly red, "She said that Snape was a git. He was egging us on and that I would do better to concentrate on getting my potion right rather than losing points for my house." He had a thoughtful look for a moment before he went on, "You know, Harry, she's alright."

They had some time to go before lunch so they went to McGonagall's office first. She was surprised to see so many of her lions at once, "What happened?"

Harry spoke first, "Professor we just had a Potions Lesson. Professor Snape partnered us with Slytherins and most of them tried to sabotage our potions so that Lavender had to go to the infirmary and so did Seamus. He also called Hermione an insufferable know-it-all because she had answered his questions in addition to taking points off all of us. He also gave detention to Ron, Lavender and Seamus but no detention to Crabbe or Parkinson who were equally guilty."

McGonagall's nostrils flared, "I see. I am returning the points that he took from you. I will also transfer your detentions. You three will be serving them with me. It is my prerogative, as your head of house, to transfer detentions to myself for my students. I will also have a word with the Headmaster about it."

**Headmaster's Office**

Professor McGonagall thundered into Dumbledore's office. Her demeanour was enough to make Dumbledore wary of her at once. Having dealt with Minerva McGonagall for half a century had made him something of an expert on her tempers. He was sure that she was about to unload on him and most likely for something which he hadn't done.

"Albus, we need to talk", she said curtly making him cringe.

He had often wondered if this was the tone that wives took with their husbands to keep them in line but never having married, he had no first-hand knowledge of such things. Yet, he got a good dose of these tantrums by virtue of the positions he held in the magical world. He had Madam Bones mad at him at times, former minister Millicent Bagnold had once taken him to task with that tone and Minerva was used to giving him a daily dose of it. However undoubtedly none of the other witches could compare to Minerva McGonagall who was looking like a thunderstorm right now, her lips forming a line thin and straight enough to use as a ruler.

"What happened Minerva?", he asked a bit too cheerfully.

She snapped, "Severus Snape happened, that's what."

"Oh!", he asked curiously, inwardly happy that she was not going to chastise him for whatever Severus had done this time. He sighed however thinking of the headache he would have trying to mediate between those two. He continued, "What has Severus done this time?"

"Oh, the usual, being a bully to first year Gryffindor students, pairing them up with Slytherins and encouraging his students to interfere with their brewing and then giving unjust detentions to them", she said curtly.

"Those are very grave charges Minerva", he said while he walked to the fireplace and threw in a pinch of floo powder and said, "Severus, I want a word."

A minute later, Severus Snape stepped out of the fireplace, "What is it, Albus?"

Albus turned to him, "Minerva here has complaints that you bullied her students in your potions lesson today. Is it true?"

Severus drawled, "I only punished those who were not being attentive in class or were unable to brew successfully. I did not bully them."

McGonagall snapped, "Pairing them with your students so that they can sabotage their potions! Is that what you call teaching?"

Dumbledore sighed, "Severus, what happened?"

Severus started telling him, "As you had encouraged camaraderie between Slytherin and Gryffindor students this morning at breakfast, I decided to take it further and made them pair up from both houses. Did I do any wrong?"

Dumbledore sighed, "Severus, we both know that those students don't see eye to eye on many issues yet you decided to force them to pair together? Most of your students come from pureblood families who followed Lord Voldemort during the war and don't think highly of muggle-borns or of those who fought against the death-eaters. Yet you did this? Why?"

"That is what I want to show to you. Most of my students come from death eater families and won't mingle with Gryffindors yet you in your infinite wisdom overlook my advice."

Dumbledore said to him firmly, "Severus what the students do with each other is their own business. You are not to try to dissuade nor force them from doing what they want. If a friendship develops between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, what is the harm in that? In the long run, that would be beneficial to the school. But, I don't think that is what young Harry had on his mind when he approached the Slytherins with an offer of friendship."

Minerva asked him sharply, "What do you mean by that Albus? Surely Harry is too young to think about politics and things like that."

Albus chuckled good naturedly, "My dear Minerva, did you forget who has raised young Harry? He was raised by Lord Black who is a consummate politician. If I have learned something from the Blacks, it is that they love power. Arcturus Orion Black has been shaping young Harry since he was a little child. I am sure there is nothing that Harry does without a plan. If he is befriending Slytherins, he has his eyes set upon something in the future which we can't see yet."

**The dueling room**

When Harry and Neville entered the dueling classroom, Professor Flitwick was waiting for them. After they had made themselves comfortable, he asked them, "So how far have you both progressed with Spell chains?"

Neville answered him, "Professor we have made some progress with spell chains though not as much as we would have liked. I mean we can use them alright but they take too long to cast."

He nodded, "you both seem to be very impatient. Spell chains take a lot to learn and even longer to learn to cast them quickly. The only thing you can do is practice them. With every practice you will get better. The only thing that you can do now is to practice and let things happen in their own time. Today we will be practicing in a different way though."

"What way, Professor?", Harry asked him.

"Today Mr. Potter we will see how good you both are. Firstly Mr. Potter will cast at Mr. Longbottom who will only dodge against those spells. When he is doing that, he will not be allowed to cast or use his wand. When it's Mr. Potter's turn then he will dodge against Mr. Longbottom and likewise he won't be allowed to use his wand. You will do this until you are unable to continue due to being stunned or being hit with a spell. The one who survives the longest will be the winner. Is that clear?"

They both nodded and Neville took his position to dodge as Harry cast at him. As they both bowed to each other, Harry immediately sent a stunner towards Neville who had started to move, having already anticipated this. Harry kept casting at Neville trying to corner him and Neville kept moving in different directions to escape the stunners. It had been about 5 minutes of relentless casting and Neville showed no signs of faltering when Harry decided to get creative. He sent a stinging hex at Neville who faltered a little in surprise but managed to evade it. Harry followed up with more stinging hexes then suddenly he sent a tripping hex at Neville's feet. Not being able to control himself, he fell flat on his face.

"6 minutes!", Flitwick exclaimed happily. "That was quite some time, Neville."

When it was Harry's turn, Neville started with a petrifying hex which Harry deftly evaded. Neville followed up with a stunner and an incarcerous and a stunner in quick succession. He kept alternating between spells and kept throwing them in different directions depending upon the movement of his feet. He kept dancing in and out of Neville's spells for quite some time when Neville cast a wide-area stunner freaking Harry out. As Flitwick had told them, a wide area stunner could not be dodged but had to be shielded and as Flitwick had forbidden them from using a shield, he was helpless and fell before the spell.

Flitwick enervated him grinning, "5 minutes Harry. It was not as much as Neville's however he was not hesitant in using any spell he could think of. I think you should take a lesson from it. No matter who is your opponent you must not hesitate to take him down. Is that clear?"

Harry nodded determinedly.

**Meeting of the pranksters**

When Harry and Neville returned to the Gryffindor tower Fred and George accosted them, "Harrikins, where were you?"

He raised an eye-brow, "Whatever is the matter, Fred and George?"

"Mate, other teams are already making plans to steal from Filch and we haven't yet done anything. Don't you want to win against them?", Gred asked him.

"It would look bad for us if we didn't even try", added Forge.

Harry smirked, "Guys we have a plan in place. The rules say that the teams can't stop each other or interfere, right?"

When they nodded, he continued, "Well Neville here has volunteered to spoil their game while we would be free to try."

Neville blanched, "Oi, when did I volunteer?"

Harry waved him off, "Mate, I won't commit to anything without counting you in my plans."

The twins were grinning in unison, "It is a mighty fine plan, Harrikins. What do you need us to do?"

The first team whose plans were foiled were the Puffs. Feeling emboldened under the leadership of Cedric, they had decided to employ their team mates on different tasks. Diggory for certain knew that Filch was a squib so there would be nothing in his office that they couldn't break into. His office likely would not be locked with a locking charm so they would be able to enter there at will. The key was to keep him away from his office long enough for them to enter, to locate and remove the desired records.

Wilson Rogers who was a second year and had an innocent face was selected to lead Filch away from his office. At the appointed time, he found Filch in his office lounging in his chair. He spoke hurriedly to him and appeared out of breath, "Mr. Filch, I saw some students huddled near the Hufflepuff common room and talking about leaving a few dungbombs in the corridors."

Filch was immediately out of his chair followed by his cat, Mrs. Norris, "Show me the way, brat. I will hang them up by their thumbs in the basement. Oh how I wish I could punish them as per the old ways."

Harriet Kelson had been stationed near his office to signal if he was coming back.

As he was being led away, Cedric and Abercrombie who were watching from afar chose that moment to appear. They walked to Filch's office as if they had all the time in the world and entered his office nonchalantly. Neville, who was hiding under the cloak and had been given the Map was watching them in amusement. When he noticed that Cedric and Abercrombie were about to strike, he walked in that direction while letting loose with a couple of Dr. Filibuster's firecrackers. They went off with a bang.

In a moment, Filch was running back to his office shouting at the top of his lungs. Neville watched in amusement as Filch found Cedric and Abercrombie fleeing from his office. He assumed that they were the ones who had let loose the crackers. He immediately started telling them off while threatening to do unspeakable things to them. Neville calmly walked toward Gryffindor Tower knowing the Hufflepuffs wouldn't be trying again tonight.

* * *

Quirrell was getting frustrated. This farce was taking too long. He still had no idea how to get past the three headed dog. The beast was only the first line of defense for the stone yet he was not able to get past even that. There was no telling how many other horrors waited further down that path. For now getting past the dog was being a bit problematic for him.

He was quite certain that the dog belonged to Hagrid because Kettleburn had lost too many of his limbs to try and domesticate a beast like that. The thing was that he needed to let the big oaf talk about it and blabber to him about the ways to tame the beast. He however could not meet him as a beast enthusiast again because that would make him immediately suspicious as he had noticed how the security in the Forbidden forest had been tightened up.

He needed something to make Hagrid forget his wits and blabber to him everything that he wanted to know. For that to happen, he would need to get something to Hagrid which he could not resist. He knew Hagrid had no use for gold. Neither Quirrell's nor Tom's knowledge about beasts was sufficient to interest him. He thought hard about it and recalled everything he knew about Hagrid. Hagrid always had a fascination for dangerous creatures even when he had been a child. He had raised an Acromantula in the castle which Tom had used to get him expelled from Hogwarts when Myrtle Warren had died. He had also heard that Hagrid always wanted a pet Dragon for himself. Perhaps he could get a dragon egg to him but that would be costly and take some time and effort. He would need to raid a Dragon Reserve to get an egg and that would have to be done in secret because if the news ever got out, Dumbledore would immediately know that something was fishy. He would have to employ his inner Slytherin to get what he wanted.


	17. Chapter 17

**Badger's Den**

Cedric was frustrated. He and Abercrombie would have found the relevant detention records and come out without any trouble whatsoever. But some idiot had decided to set off some firecrackers to harass the caretaker at that exact moment! If they had not struck today, Hufflepuff would have won. But there was nothing for it now. He and Abercrombie had been found outside Filch's office and lost 5 points apiece with a detention each.

He turned to Harriet, "You were supposed to keep an eye on Filch and tell us if he was coming back. Why couldn't you holler for us?"

Harriet had been thinking about that, "I don't know. I mean I thought I should shout for you all to run but when the firecracker went off, I got distracted. I went looking in that direction for the culprit. You wouldn't believe it but there was no one there. I mean I wanted to see who was idiot enough to cause trouble right outside Filch's office but no! It was like they had disappeared into thin air."

Wilson scowled, "You can't apparate in and out of the castle, Kelsen. They must have been hiding themselves in some other way. That's the only explanation."

Abercrombie asked them, "Why all the interest in them anyway? Someone had a grudge with Filch and they just chose the most inopportune time to act on it. That's all. We'll have to try again some other time. Next time, we'll have to make sure that there is no one hiding in the corridor to thwart our plan."

Cedric nodded but his mind was stuck on one tiny detail that Harriet mentioned. He couldn't claim to know the castle better than Filch or the twins or even Hadrian Potter-Black but he was reasonably certain that there was no secret way near Filch's office where anyone could disappear. Also there was no other place for people to hide themselves. Unless someone was using a disillusionment charm or an invisibility cloak, there was no way for them to disappear. That gave rise to the question as to why one would go to the lengths of using such a charm just to harass Filch and Invisibility Cloaks weren't that common. Only those who had a ludicrous pile of gold or connections in the right places could own one. Even his father who worked with creatures in the ministry wasn't able to obtain one. He decided to keep his eyes open and pay attention to everything that happened around him.

**The serpent's tricks**

The serpents too were running through everything that they knew about Argus Filch. One thing that could be credited to them was that they never played their hand until they knew all the cards. Information was something that they valued and they always made sure to make some use of it. So what they wanted before they committed their heist was information. Particularly they were looking for information about Filch's office and on the other teams.

They were crooked enough to know that they couldn't expect everyone to play fair especially the twins. Those two hadn't obtained the position of pranksters in residence by being honest and upfront about it and the serpents knew it. What they had not taken into account in their calculations was Hadrian Potter-Black and Neville Longbottom.

They knew that Harry was behind transforming the student's opinions but at the same time they didn't know anything about him being responsible for Peevesie antagonizing the Slytherins for no fault of theirs. They didn't know that he was the one behind Snape's dungeons stinking like dragon dung. They didn't know he had lost them all those points in one night because they had antagonized Ernie Macmillan. So they had appointed Griffith and Fawley heiress to keep an eye on the twins and they had nothing to report so far. Since the competition was announced, the twins had gone cold turkey. As far as the serpents knew, they were doing nothing. Hadrian Potter-Black meanwhile was too busy playing in the political arena to care about it. Perhaps those 100 Galleons were destined to come to the serpents. They also knew that two of the badgers had been put in detention by Filch and one of their attempts had been thwarted. They were also curious about it but like others, they had no idea how that had happened.

The heir of Du Vant had been tasked with keeping an eye on Potter-Black but Potter- Black looked like he had all the time in the world to do whatever he wished except making any plan. Only Bole was suspicious of Harry's apparent ease because he understood what others couldn't. Harry was raised by the Blacks. If anyone after Slytherin knew anything about scheming, they were the Blacks. Hadrian Potter-Black was up to something.

It was with a view to keep an eye on Potter-Black that he approached Pucey, "Adrian, I want a word."

Adrian who was with his friends talking about something inconsequential, asked him warily, "What do you want, Bole?"

Bole was undeterred by his demeanor, "In private, if you please."

Pucey followed him to their dorm which was empty at that moment. When they were sure that they wouldn't be over-heard, Adrian asked him, "What do you want?"

He asked him without preamble, "What do you know about Potter-Black?"

Adrian raised an eyebrow, "What is it about, Bole? As far as I know Potter-Black has never antagonized you."

Bole insisted, "Would you answer the damn question?"

Adrian shrugged, "Alright! Potter-Black is a fine bloke. Never meddles with other's affairs needlessly and certainly doesn't seek any enmity with anyone. Why do you ask?"

Bole told him about the prank competition and when he was done telling, he said further, "I don't think that the Weasleys are really behind this. I mean they don't have the galleons to stake. It is all Potter-Black, I tell you."

Adrian mused, "Hmm… he certainly is Slytherin enough in his dealings. Having lived with Lord Black he must have learnt a thing or two from him. And then he has Sirius Black as godfather and I have heard snippets of conversation about him and James Potter being pranksters in their own time. So, what do you want of me?"

"I want you to keep an eye on him. I think he is up to something and would resort to tricks to win this thing. I want you to keep an eye on him and let me know if he is plotting something."

Adrian eyed him warily, "Are you out of your mind, Lucian? You just said that he is as Slytherin as they come yet you think he would open up to me? He would see through your ploy and lead me around by the nose. Besides I am not a fan of cheap tricks. You want to win this then use your talents."

Bole already knew that Pucey wouldn't agree but he just couldn't give up without trying.

**Oh Isobel!**

The next morning, like the last day Harry chose the Slytherin table and this time he sat at the far end with Pucey, Neville and Du Vant. He knew it would take time for others to come to terms with him sitting at their table or open up to him and he was willing to wait.

"Potter-Black", Du Vant asked him, "Have you made any preparations?"

Harry, looking the very picture of innocence, responded evasively, "I'm sure that I don't know what you mean, Heir Du Vant."

A bit later, when Malfoy came into the Great Hall, he sneered, "What's your game? Are you trying to suck up to them, Potter-Black?"

Harry did not deign to answer him. Instead Pucey replied this time, "Malfoy, you can always pick a fight with him later. For now, let us eat in peace or I will have to complain to our Head of House about you."

Draco turned to him, "my father will hear about this."

Neville snorted, "And what will he do about it, Malfoy? As I've heard, he doesn't have the political clout he used to have. His gold has been rapidly squandered recently and he lost his standing among his peers. The House of Pucey on the other hand is respected by everyone. Do you think anyone would stand with your father in this current political climate?"

Draco of course realized the truth in Neville's words but could not admit it, "You will see Longbottom."

Neville gave him a very casual look, "Malfoy, I am always here, ready to see whatever you have to show me."

"I trust that you are not fighting, boys", said Professor Flitwick who was coming down that row. He herded Malfoy and his cronies away, "Mr. Malfoy, it would be wise to have your breakfast and go. Classes will start soon."

That noon, Neville stayed behind in the Greenhouses while Harry went to do some research in the library. Isobel found him there, "Harry, I thought you were to remind me to tell you what I was talking about."

Harry shook his head, "No. You said to remind you but I had not promised. However I am curious to hear you."

She nodded, "I know what you are doing with the students."

He arched an eyebrow, "And just what do you think I'm doing?"

She smirked, "You are marking your territory."

Harry asked her curiously, "And please explain Miss McDougall what do you mean by marking my territory? I am not a cat, dog, wolf or bear."

She waved him off, "Making friends with students in every house, having them unite behind you and getting them to do whatever you want. If that isn't marking your territory then I'll eat my hat."

Harry chuckled, "That poor piece of fabric would be poor fare, Isobel. I mean I don't have any intention to be a ruler or anything. What I want is a very peaceful existence in this school for the next seven years. If that means making peace with others then that's not so bad."

She huffed, "Alright. I'll prove it."

Harry had avoided directly answering her question for now. But, he was still curious. How Isobel could have guess his plan amused him. That also made him more wary of everyone around him. Arcturus Orion Black had taught him not to trust his own shadow in matters where secrecy was required. Maybe he needed to watch his words more and let Neville know to do the same. In a way it was good that he found this mistake so early. He had time to correct it.

**Egg of the dragon**

Quirrell decided that getting a dragon's egg would solve one predicament for him. The egg would make the oaf speak if he played those cards very carefully. Getting a dragon's egg was not easy. Getting a live egg on the black market would take more gold than he could raise with a teacher's salary. Dragons could not be bred in someone's backyard. They were bred in Reserves where they would be under high security. For Voldemort, the security would not have presented any challenge but for Quirrell it may be difficult. Then there was another problem. He couldn't just leave the castle to go and fetch a Dragon's egg.

He had classes to teach and Severus was dogging his steps at every moment. If he just disappeared, he would be missed immediately. He would have to ask for Dumbledore's permission. The old fool may try to learn where he was headed. He had to deal with a hundred issues and there was no solution to them.

He decided to come up with some pretense to get out of the castle. There has to be something which only Quirrell could do and then there was no way that Dumbledore would be able to refuse him permission to leave the castle. Perhaps the pretext of some personal issue that would require his attendance or obtaining a creature for his class which Kettleburn did not already have and could not obtain quickly. Yes, obtaining a creature. That was close enough to the truth to make the lie convincing.

**The claws aren't too sharp**

The claws had done their research. They were meticulous in their preparations. They liked to plan to the point of perfection before they acted on it. Harry knew how they worked and he knew they would spend about three days making their preparations before they struck.

Sure enough Sean Murphy had been trailing Filch for two days taking note of the path he took through the castle and how much time he spent doing anything. When he was not at it, Shikhar Gupta trailed him. Between them they had some sort of a plan ready. Their planning was so meticulous that they had one of their number loiter outside of Filch's office on the pretext of reading the list of forbidden items, something that nobody in living memory had ever done before. Filch had growled at that student, threatening detention and suspecting they were up to some mischief while the student made a detailed study of Filch's office. His office was practically bare except for the table in the room and some filing cabinets along one wall. The table had a few drawers. There was no telling what could be in those drawers. It was a magical world. If someone had charmed a drawer with the bottomless charm, there could be any number of things in it and nobody would be the wiser. Then there were a lot of drawers in the cabinets and there was no way they could know if they were ordinary or charmed. They also knew of the botched attempt of the Hufflepuff's to retrieve the desired records and they didn't want a repeat of it.

Their plan was similar to that of the Hufflepuffs with some slight alterations. They decided that it was time to act. The only snag was that they didn't know about the map. Neville Longbottom was dutifully keeping an eye on them.

That night after curfew, Filch was on the rounds of the castle when he heard a distinct crashing sound. From his years of patrolling the castle and dealing with the various menaces therein, such as the students and Peeves, he was sure that the sound involved a suit of armor somewhere on the sixth floor. One of Peeves' favorite pass-time was to push them over when he was feeling bored. Taking a few trusted shortcuts, he arrived at the scene faster than anyone could have guessed a man of his age and in his apparent physical condition could. The couple of claws who were on the look-out flashed the signal to their comrades to make the move.

Unfortunately for them, the little menace known as Longbottom was also prowling the castle, armed with the invisibility cloak and the map that Harry had loaned to him. Lately he had taken to camping around Filch's office in the night. When he saw Filch moving and the dots of Ravenclaw students out of their common room, he knew they were up to something.

Thanks to Remus who had taught him a complicated locking charm which the Marauders had created, Neville secured Filch's door. He knew the claws wouldn't be able to open the door and neither would Filch for that matter. When he left Filch's office, he saw the claws descending and standing in a corner. He decided to stay and watch the spectacle. It was too good to miss.

Shikhar Gupta and Sean Murphy were to cause the distraction while Agnes Reid and Esmeralda Vasquez had come to do the actual deed. Esmeralda tried to yank open the door but couldn't. As per their research, Filch was a squib, meaning that he couldn't use magic. Yet the door was locked by magic anyway and it was a charm that none of them had seen before. They kept trying every unlocking charm they knew and Neville was amused to see them try to yank the door open with all their strength. He also kept an eye on Filch to see if he was returning. He also noticed Harry was out of the Badger's Hole now. He knew that Harry would go through the Eagle's nest before he returned to the Lion's den. He was doing what was part of the other plan.

He also noticed with amusement that Filch seemed to be chasing Gupta and Murphy whom he had found at the site of the crash and they had taken him on a prowl of the castle. Shrugging his shoulders but remembering the tidbit, he paid close attention to Vasquez and Reid who were now desperately trying to open the door. All their attempts with unlocking charms were failing miserably. Neville was suppressing the urge to howl with laughter seeing them trying everything in their power to open the door. In their desperation, Vasquez even conjured a two-handed sledge-hammer to break down the door but it was a poor decision. The door could not be broken by a full grown troll and they were mere students. What's more, bashing on the door with the massive hammer made a huge booming racket that was sure to wake everyone in the castle. A quick look in between watching the claws attempting to break the door, he noticed that Filch had caught up to Gupta and Murphy and seemed to be reprimanding them.

After about 10 more minutes when he noticed that Filch was on the second floor, he decided to take his leave. He let off a dung bomb as a parting gift for the Claws and to let them know that it was time to leave. On his way back to the Gryffindor common room, he deliberately took one of Filch's favourite short-cuts and let off a couple more dung bombs in the passageway. As expected, Filch started howling at the top of his voice and trying to find the miscreants. He could smell the dung-bombs; see their remains but no one in the vicinity who could have used them. His shouts however alerted the rapidly retreating claws who knew to avoid the passageway where filch was. They knew for a fact that Filch could not do magic but whoever had locked his office certainly could.

**The Lion's den**

When Neville reached the Lion's den, he found Harry at the Notice Board, pinning the latest poster on it. When the portrait hole opened and there seemed to be nobody there, Harry knew Neville was back. Neville appeared from under the cloak after the portrait hole closed behind him.

Having finished putting up the notice, Harry turned to Neville, "By the grin on your face, I suppose we were successful?"

Neville couldn't hold it in any longer. He doubled over in gales of laughter. When he was able to speak again, his grin got wider, "We did. Gupta and Reid were got caught by Filch though. I think they were too busy causing mayhem to think about getting away."

Harry smirked, "No, they were showing the most obvious trait of Ravenclaw. If Filch caught them out of bounds he can give them what? A detention or two and maybe take away a few points apiece. In return for that, they get the title of 'Prankster of Hogwarts' if they get the records. To get the records, they would have tried to keep Filch away from his office for as long as they could. They perhaps got caught to buy time for their team mates."

Neville's mouth was open in shock. He could not decide whether to be in awe or laugh at their stupidity. Finally he decided that he would rather laugh about it and broke down in whole hearted laughter again. After about a good five minutes, he was able to speak again, "They aren't too sharp, are they? I mean they didn't even figure out what to do if they were stopped in any other way or if Filch's office door was locked."

Harry shrugged, "There is a reason that Fred and George are better at it than others. Anyway, we are done for the night. Tomorrow, we will see the reaction of the school."

**Eagle's nest**

Vasquez and Reid had escape Filch but just barely. If he had not started shouting suddenly, they would have run right into him. They would have been caught and put in detention.

When they reached the Eagle's nest they found the other two of their team waiting for them in the common room. The hope in their eyes that perhaps Vasquez and Reid had finished their work made them feel embarrassed however they had good reasons for their failure.

It was Murphy who asked her, "So, did you two get the job done?"

Vasquez shook her head, "No. We didn't get it."

Gupta cried in surprise, "Why? I mean it was tough sure but not that hard. You didn't get to check all the drawers?"

Reid answered, dejected, "We didn't even get through the door. You two idiots failed to gather all the relevant information."

Murphy asked her, "Whatever do you mean by that Agnes?"

"You people took note of everything that Filch does in his office or in the castle and how much time he spends at it but you two did not notice that the door to his office is locked with an unusual locking spell?"

"What?", Murphy asked in surprise, "How can that be? I told you that Filch is a squib. He can't cast a spell to save his own life. And even if his door was locked by magic, why didn't you use Alohomora?"

Esmeralda replied, "Of course we tried something that obvious and five or six other unlocking charms besides before we ran out of ideas. The charm that he used was different. No unlocking spell that we knew worked on it. We even tried the Anti-Alohomora spell but it didn't work either. I even tried to break down the damn thing with a hammer but it didn't budge."

Murphy was frowning, "It's just not possible. There is no way Filch can do that. However it is possible that Dumbledore may have put some new charms on his office door to prevent students from breaking in. Being the headmaster, he can do so."

Reid asked him, "So what do we do now?"

"We will wait for other teams to make a strike and then we will make ours."

Gupta groaned, "It was all hard-work wasted today and here we had improvised the plan to give you both more time to go through his drawers."

Reid arched an eyebrow, "Explain."

"When we were discussing the drawers and that they might be charmed with extension charms, we thought that perhaps we could give you more time. When Filch came up, we led him on a merry chase round and round the castle for about 10 minutes before we were caught. Then he spent 10 more minutes berating us, threatening us and then he put us in detention after taking 30 points each from us. We thought we had given you both time to find the desired records but it was all a waste."

Vasquez was incredulous, "You two morons decided to lead Filch on a wild goose chase and then get caught because somewhere in your twisted mind, you were giving us time to search his office more thoroughly? Couldn't you have asked us in advance?"

Murphy grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. But what's done is done. We will try again."

**The Bishop of Hogwarts**

The next day was chaos. Scratch that, since this year had started, it had been chaos every other day and this was just the newest addition to it. During the night posters had been put up in every House common room for everyone to see. They were issuing their challenge to everyone.

When the students arrived at the breakfast table, their eyes were looking for the Weasley's in particular. They apparently had something to do with the posters that had miraculously appeared in their common rooms. They were not explicitly named in it but pulling a prank like that was something they could do. There were resourceful for sure.

Before the Lions made their customary appearance behind Hadrian Potter-Black, a barn owl winged its way towards Dumbledore at the staff table. Relieving the owl of its burden, he opened the letter to read. As he proceeded, the corners of his mouth started twitching. He had to work hard to hide the smile that was trying to form on his face. The letter read:

_"Dear Headmaster,_

_Sorry for not telling you sooner and in person. I have taken your advice about extending an Olive Branch to the Slytherins. In fact we have decided to extend it to every house. Acting under the advice that you gave to me, I have looked into what can be a healthy all-inclusive competition between the houses and reached the conclusion that a chess tournament will be a good choice. I really want a favor from you however. Can you please take the credit for whatever we have done? Imagine how good a prank it will be upon the others?_

_Hadrian Potter-Black._

_p.s. We arranged a little surprise for everyone. I hope you will like it."_

Dumbledore was amused. A first year student was presuming that his headmaster would go along with some harebrained scheme without even knowing what it was. But then maybe it wasn't too bad. He decided to humor the child this time. He had no idea what he was getting into.

Minerva who was in the seat beside him asked, "What has got you smirking, Albus?"

Slipping the letter into his robes, he replied, "Oh nothing. Just something that I had thought about yesterday and was going to formally announce today. I presume that you have already heard?"

Her head snapped up, "Do you mean that was you?"

He had no idea what it was that she was referring to. He jovially replied, "Yes Minerva, it was me. What has you so worked up?"

She said nothing but clamped her mouth shut. Dumbledore knew there was a surprise coming and he had been foretold but waited for the surprise to unravel and decided to act as surprised as others did. Owning up to Minerva didn't mean he couldn't play along. The one to bring the surprise to his attention was Severus Snape, as he expected.

Snape entered the double doors with his robes billowing behind him, his trademark sneer in place and an unpleasant expression on his face.

"Headmaster", he said curtly, "Look what they are up to now."

Dumbledore tried to keep his face expressionless as he turned to Severus, "Who? What happened, my boy?"

Severus shoved a big roll of parchment into his hand, "This! Read this!"

Dumbledore was amused by Snape's reaction to whatever was in that parchment. It must have been something funny to have rankled Severus so fiercely.

When he tried to unroll it, Severus shook his head, "Don't open it like that. It is charmed like a howler. Just tap it with your wand and let all the Great Hall hear it."

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, "That's very complicated magic, my boy. Are you sure you want me to play it for all the students?"

Snape drawled, "If I didn't then I won't have brought it to your attention, Albus."

Dumbledore said with a smile at the corner of his lips, "Very well! If you say so."

Saying that he tapped the parchment and it flew open. Dumbledore immediately regretted having tapped it. There was a very loud screech which accompanied the unfurling of it. It attracted everyone's attention towards it. Looking at others' faces, he realized they all had seen it beforehand.

As the poster screeched, Seamus fell off his seat. When Dean pulled him up, he asked stupidly, "Where is the Banshee?" Others around him chuckled.

The poster screeched, _"THE MARAUDER'S INC. PROUDLY PRESENTSSSSSS "THE BISHOP OF HOGWARTS CHAMPIONSHIP". Do you think- _

_You have what it takes to be the champion of Hogwarts? _

_That the sorting hat told you that you are the most-clever individual? _

_That you can brew potions better than Professor Snape? _

_You think you can perform transfigurations better than Professor McGonagall? _

_You can charm a quill faster than Professor Flitwick? _

_Think that you know better than Professor Dumbledore? _

_Think you can understand whatever Professor Quirrell is teaching between his stutters?_

_Because if you think so then you are delusional and you need to see Madam Pomfrey. Not that she would like you in the infirmary more than necessary but no one else in the castle can treat mental delusions. If you have such delusions, then you can compete in this tournament. _

_Open to all from all years and the winner gets the title of "Bishop of Hogwarts" not that it would mean anything considering most of my titles are just that. To ease the ache in your heart however the prize for the winner shall be 100 G. To sign up, please see Professor McGonagall._

When the poster was done speaking, he realized how much hot water he was in. Whoever had designed this poster had a rotten sense of humor. He had a good idea that Sirius and Remus shared that kind of humor but it was entirely possible that Hadrian and his friends had designed it.

Minerva was saying, "Albus you were saying?"

He turned to the Great Hall, "Oh yes, I have an announcement to make. I believe you all have seen this poster in the common rooms of your houses this morning. In the view of the increasing camaraderie between the students, I decided to make an effort to get them on friendlier terms with each other so I came up with this. As they say, rivalry is better when it is in sports."

Severus asked him in a cold drawl in low whispering voice, "Was it your doing headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled brightly or tried to, "Yes my boy. It was."

Severus raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know that you were a Marauder, Headmaster."

Dumbledore improvised on the spot, "Lord Black is sponsoring this tournament so I decided to name it as per his liking."

Minerva, whose mouth now resembled a thin line, asked him curtly, "And what made you accept Lord Black's offer?"

He sighed, "Minerva, Lord Black has a seat on the Board of Governors of the school which he gave up to Mr. Bowen to sit in his stead. In addition to that, he made a generous donation of five hundred thousand Galleons to the school just this summer which allowed me to get better facilities for the students. In return for everything that he has done, I could agree to his demand."

That shut them up. Dumbledore turned to the students, "Any student can participate in this tournament. There are no restrictions upon it. Interested students can give their names to Professor McGonagall for the next week after which the lots will be drawn."

When he finished speaking, he looked at the Gryffindor table where young Harry was sitting with his friends and giving the headmaster his best lope-sided grin. Dumbledore was reluctant to admit it but Harry had just pulled one on him. In fact Dumbledore had walked into it knowing what the little miscreant was capable of.

As they were leaving the Great Hall, Neville whispered to him, "Well played Harry, well played."

Hermione who was just behind them asked, "What do you mean, Neville?"

Neville turned to her, "Harry and I designed that poster and had his guardian charm it. The words were written by his godfather who told us to send a letter to the headmaster beforehand. The headmaster, as Sirius Black had predicted, walked into it headfirst."

She huffed, "He is the headmaster."

Harry turned to her, "yes he is the headmaster and it looks better coming from him. I mean this way it can happen in the middle of the Great Hall without any need for secrecy."

Isobel who had the same class as them joined their group, "Harry, I remember you bringing the poster into the common room and giving it to Michael Corner. Why did the headmaster say that it was his idea?"

Harry grinned at her, "It is just one of many things, Isobel. There will be many more."

**The serpent's counsel**

That evening, the snakes decided the time was right to make their strike. They had most of the relevant information. They knew that someone unknown was ruining the game for other teams. What they did not have was any idea about who it could be. They knew that someone had deliberately set off a firecracker in front of Filch's office spoiling the Puff's attempt. Then someone, likely the same someone, had foiled the claws by locking Filch's office behind him. They knew for a fact that Filch was a squib so it was out of the question that he did it himself.

Now there were many possibilities about the suspected identity of the person who was ruining their game. It could be a Gryffindor. They were known for being brash and abrasive, always heading into danger. The twins were known to be knowledgeable enough to be able to do that. They also knew their way around the castle. Perhaps no one else knew the castle as well as them except Filch. They were also quite ruthless in competition. But the rules of the tournament which Hadrian Potter-Black himself had set stated that one team could not interfere with another team's strategy. The Gryffindors were too straight laced to think of ways around that rule. They could not think of anyone else in Gryffindor who would be prankster enough to merit consideration.

The last possibility was that a Slytherin was sabotaging their plans. The way they were operating, employing subterfuge, and escaping notice were all indicative of them being a Slytherin. If it were a Slytherin then it was no problem because they wouldn't sabotage the team from their own house. Now all that they had to do was to form a strategy. The main part of their strategy was the same as other teams. They would have to distract Filch to keep him away from his office. It was not risky but what was risky was what came after that. They would need enough time to search the office and retrieve the records they were after. That meant they would have to keep Filch busy for a long time. That would require some thought. They had no worries from Severus Snape because he would avert his eyes from whatever they were doing. On that count, they were sure that Snape would not even give a second glance to whatever his snakes did. Another issue was to keep the infernal cat Mrs. Norris away from them during this time while watching for Peeves over their shoulder. The poltergeist had some sort of enmity toward them. He harassed them whenever he could. None of the Slytherins could remember what they had done to make him mad at them. If Peeves got to them, there would be no escape.

They had a meeting to form their strategy in the fourth year boy's dorm. The Snakes had long since removed all the portraits from that room. They swept it regularly for scrying spells and maintained privacy wards about it at all times. Unless someone in the meeting was a traitor, they could be reasonably sure that they would not be observed or overheard. Lucian Bole by reason of being their leader presided over the meeting, "As you all know, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have both already attempted to grab the records. They were thwarted by someone unknown. By process of elimination, we agree that whoever that person might be, it is likely one of our own. But, just on the chance that it isn't, we have decided to plan in secret and strike quickly. That will give us the best chance to complete the job before we can be stopped."

Griffith said, "Come to the point, Bole. What are we to do and when do we strike?"

Bole smirked, "We will strike about an hour from now. That way, whoever is sabotaging the other teams won't know about it. Even if it were not a Slytherin, they won't be any the wiser about us."

Du Vant grinned, "That is a good plan. Now what are we going to do?"

Fawley took the lead in this one, "Two of us are going to cause mayhem in the dungeons, scattering debris and causing much chaos. That will keep Filch busy for the evening. While he is dealing with the situation, we will be in his office, going through the drawers and swiping the desired records."

Bole grinned, "I like the plan. We have to make sure that we keep Filch engaged long enough to have enough time to make our search."

With that they agreed and started making preparations.

When Neville noticed their dots together in the Slytherin seventh year dorm, he found Harry immediately, "Harry, the serpents are meeting."

He grinned, "Well it's about time. Let's see what they are up to."

Telling the twins that they were going to run some errands, Harry and Neville walked down towards the dungeons while hiding under the cloak. They had to take immediate action so that the snakes won't win. Their plan was simple. They waited for the serpents to come out of the Common Room and watched in amusement as they dirtied a length of the corridor with soil and debris.

While they were at it, Harry understood what was going on. Quietly they left the place to arrive in an empty room. After making sure that they won't be over-heard, Harry turned to Neville, "They're going to create mayhem and then send someone to inform Filch about it. Filch, neat freak that he is will see to it that the mess gets cleaned up quickly. While he is laboring there, they will be going through his filing cabinets."

Neville nodded, "So what should I do?"

Harry smirked, "Just give him the helpful suggestion that the house elves could take care of the mess for him."

Neville grinned in response.

About 15 minutes later, cannon-bangs attracted Filch's attention who was on the scene within minutes. He found the corridor dirty and debris strewn around and howled in anger. As he was thinking what to do with the debris that was strewn about, he decided that cleaning it right away was the best thing.

He had just started to work on cleaning when Neville Longbottom approached him, "Good Evening, Mr. Filch."

Filch sneered, "What do you want, brat?"

Neville feigned innocence, "I wanted to thank you for all the hard work that you do. Look I have also brought a chocolate for you."

Filch took a look at the offered chocolate which was perhaps Honey Dukes' finest. The innocence of the brat before him and his genuine appreciation of Filch made him take the chocolate. He turned to Neville, "Thank you for appreciating my work, brat but others doesn't appreciate my hard work. I clean all day and they keep dirtying the castle."

Neville asked him with a puzzled expression, "But you can have any of the House elves clean it. For them it is no bother than a snap of the fingers."

Filch was frowning and thinking that the brat was indeed talking sense. This work could be done by a house elf within a second. The brat meanwhile was taking his leave of him after having done his work.

In exactly two more minutes, Filch was hobbling back to his office. Fawley who was on the lookout noticed Filch coming back before the anticipated time. She was initially freaked out but instantly hooted like an owl which was the signal for her housemates to run.

Filch's office was a curious place for students. Everyone had heard that he had confiscated a lot of items from the students over the years. Most of them were prototypes. So when three students got the chance to get into his office, they couldn't resist the allure of going through all the drawers to see if they could get their hands on any such thing. As a result they forgot their main errand which they were supposed to be doing. They started rummaging through the drawers in Filch's desk to find something curious and fun. Bole however remembered that they did not have much time. He growled, "We're here to find the records, not toys. Look for the records or I'll make sure that you will pay for your lack of focus."

They quickly pocketed the gadgets that they had in their hands and got back to rummaging through the other drawers. Pretty soon, they found a big drawer which was labeled 'Detention Records (1975-1978). The size of the thing was massive. Just the size of the drawer made them groan. It held three years worth of detention records. It would take a long time to find the desired records.

They started pulling random slips to see what the year of the detention was when suddenly they heard an owl hooting in the distance. Two of them were so engrossed in reading the things done by their fore bearers in detention that they forgot this was their signal to escape. However Griffith remembered it. He nudged Bole and Du Vant hard, "Filch is coming back. We'll have to run for it."

Bole frowned, "How can he be coming back so soon?"

Griffith growled, "Let's get out of here first, idiot. We can speculate about it later."

Du Vant asked, "And what about these? We won't get another chance to put our hands on these records."

Bole decided in a moment, "Let's take the whole lot. We'll sort through them back in the dorm."

They emptied the contents of the drawer into a small sack with extension charms on it that they had brought for the purpose and hastily made their exit. When Filch returned and saw that his office had been overturned, he howled with fury. He could see that something was missing and it didn't take him long to figure out what. A few of his favorite gadgets that he had confiscated from students and the contents of an entire drawer full of detention records from previous years were missing. These nasty little brats had gone too far. He would make them pay.

He hobbled up to Dumbledore's office and ran all the way up the ascending stairs. He burst into the Headmaster's office, "Headmaster, thieves have overturned my office and stolen from it."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in question, "Stolen? What do you mean by that Argus? Explain."

Filch had already decided not to mention the missing gadgets. He was still howling, "Someone broke into my office and took away all the detention records for the years 1975 through 78."

Dumbledore was surprised, "That is curious. What would anyone do with detention records?"

He was genuinely curious. Recently it looked like someone had been targeting Filch and his office. First he had been whipped in his own office, and then someone had locked his office with an unknown charm that required Professor Flitwick to undo. Now someone was raiding his office. He had a difficult time imagining what use detention records were to anyone. But perhaps the objective was to further humiliate the janitor yet again. Regardless of the motivation, theft was theft. The thieves would have to be caught and punished. The question was how to find them?

He turned to Filch, "Mr. Filch, call all the ghosts."

A few minutes later, all the ghosts were in his office. Being the headmaster, he could banish any of them from the castle so they were bound to serve him. He started speaking slowly and clearly, "Someone raided Mr. Filch's office and stole some detention records. I want you all to look for them and find them."

The Bloody Baron glided forward, "There is no need for that, Headmaster. Minutes ago, I saw three Slytherin students returning to the Common Room carrying a sack. I am sure that it contains those records."

Dumbledore raised an eye-brow, "And how do you know that?"

The Baron said impassively, "There were being secretive about it and they entered at a run as if they were being chased by someone."

Dumbledore stood up, "Alright. It may turn to nothing but it is worth checking over. What were their names and where are they now?"

"Lucian Bole, Cameron Du Vant and Richard Griffith, Headmaster. I believe they are in their fourth year dorm at the moment."

Dumbledore walked to the fireplace and threw in a pinch of floo powder and said, "Severus, I want a word."

Severus stepped out of the fireplace brushing the soot from his robes and drawled, "What is it, Albus?"

"I have been told that three of your students are responsible for breaking into Mr. Filch's office and stealing detention records from past years. The Baron has seen them entering the common room with a sack."

Severus continued in the same drawl, "And of course, since they are Slytherins, they are bound to be carrying those records?"

Dumbledore challenged him, "If you are so sure about their innocence then let's go and find out. On the same note, I am not making an opinion about their guilt or innocence unless I know for certain."

A scant few minutes later, they were standing outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room. To normal perception, it was a blank stone wall. Unless one knew where the entrance was and the password, they could not tell where the portal was, never mind get through it. But, for the headmaster of Hogwarts and the Head of house, the portal revealed itself and opened without the need to utter the password.

When they entered Severus asked, "Where are Lucian Bole, Richard Griffith and Cameron Du Vant?"

The head boy stepped forward, "They are in the fourth year dorm, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded, "very well. You, Marcus come with me along with the other Slytherin Prefects."

When they were outside of the seventh year dorm, Dumbledore dismantled the wards with a nearly imperceptible movement of his wand before opening the door. They didn't need to go to any extra efforts since the three boys were there, right in front of them, sorting through the detention records. Once in a while they read one of the slips trying to get an idea for a new prank, or at least one that hadn't been seen for a while.

They yelped in fright and jumped down from the bed seeing the professors in front of them. They knew their heist had failed and it was time to face the music.

Dumbledore said jovially, "Shall I assign them punishment or will you, Severus?"

Severus sneered, "I will see to their appropriate punishment, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded, "Very well, I shall leave you to it then."

With that, he waved his wand and the slips rose into the air to arrange themselves in an orderly fashion. Levitating them, Dumbledore walked out of the dormitory.

* * *

A/N- I heard so many people have succumbed to Noval Corona or Covid-19 recently and my prayers are with them and their families. I also hope that you all are staying inside, keeping yourself safe. For those who are out there, fighting this epidemic to save others, I take off my hat for you all and dedicate this chapter to you on me and my editor's behalf. Take care, stay safe.


	18. Chapter 18

**My mother was in hospital so I could not upload it despite having done it about two weeks ago. Sorry for the delay. **

* * *

**Wales**

Quirrell believed that he managed to leave the castle without raising too much suspicion. Dumbledore appeared to believe his story about having to travel a bit to obtain a Grindylow to teach his third year class about them. This story got him excused from his patrol duties for the weekend anyway. Any wizard with his wits about him could scoop a Grindylow from the lake in about half an hour, which is what he intended to do, but Quirrell appeared to be such a bumbling idiot that perhaps the old fool would believe that he had to go and purchase one.

The real purpose for his travelling abroad was to get a dragon egg then use it to get the grounds keeper to tell him about the Cerberus. The nearest place where he could get a Dragon egg was the Dragon Reserve in Wales where they bred the Welsh Green Dragon. The dragon reserve was huge and surrounded by anti-apparition and portkey wards. Finding an egg and getting out of there would be risky and time-consuming but, try he would because he didn't knew any other way.

He apparated to the outskirts of the reserve in the early hours of Friday evening. By the time the sun was setting on the Saturday, he found the place where the dragon eggs and their brood mothers were guarded. Yes, guarded, as if a brooding dragon mother wasn't enough trouble, there were dozens of the toughest looking wizards and witches Voldemort had ever seen guarding them too. Clearly, it would be suicide to try taking an egg from here. Perhaps with enough planning and the imperious curse on the right person, but he didn't have that kind of time. What's more, if anything went wrong or the egg was missed, word might get back to the old fool that someone has been stealing dragon eggs. While he was working on coming up with a plan, two wizards approached his hiding place and they appeared to be arguing. The one wizard was trying to persuade the other to help him cover up the loss of an egg so that they could sell it on the black market and split the profits.

This was the way. He would have to empty Quirrell's vault and buy an egg on the black market.

He walked clear of the wards and disapparated to Diagon Alley. After a brief visit to the bank, he turned and walked toward Knockturn Alley.

**Knockturn Alley**

Voldemort hadn't been in Knockturn Alley since the time when the wizarding world feared him. He was surrounded by dodgy shops and vendors, selling their wares. There were obvious signs of decay and squalor everywhere he looked. It would appear that crime hadn't paid in some time. The place was originally an extension from Diagon Alley when the place had become too crowded. Nobody could say exactly how it happened, but as time went on, the less legal portion of commerce had gravitated there. Now, unless one was looking for a specific type of goods or services, even the Aurors did not go there unless they went in force.

Tom knew of a certain wizard who dealt with dark artefacts. The man had benefitted from his patronage during the previous campaign. He lived in a quaint shop without any wards whatsoever. Voldemort nonchalantly walked into the shop, "I need a service of you."

The man drawled, "Service requires payment. Do you have the appropriate payment for this service that you want from me?"

Voldemort continued in the same casual tone, "If the service is adequate then the payment will be sufficient."

The man nodded, "Name the service and I'll name the price."

"Very well. I require one live dragon egg."

The man sneered, "Look around mate. I don't have stacks of live dragon eggs just laying around here, do I? Besides, how do I know you're not some Auror or an enforcer from the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures? I don't deal with Dragon eggs or anything like that."

Quirrell drew a pouch of galleons from his inside pocket and placed it on the counter, "There are 100 Galleons in this pouch. I am no Auror." He said the last word with disgust. "Tell me where I may obtain an egg and the gold is yours."

The man quickly pocketed the galleons, "I will take these as payment for the information which I am about to give you. There is a person in the Knockturn who deals in dragon eggs. Up at the far end of the alley where there are those little one stall shops. Ask for one eyed William and you will find him. Drives a hard bargain but his services are worth it."

Voldemort nodded, "Anything else that you can tell me about him?"

The wizard nodded, "he will most likely empty your pockets with the services you seek but there is no one else in all of Britain who can get it for you."

Voldemort whipped his wand up before the other wizard could even blink and muttered, "Obliviate."

The wizard's eyes rolled up in his head and Voldemort left the place. He was not eager to kill the man over 100 Galleons. The unwanted attention it could draw alone was worth more than a few paltry bits of metal to him. If, however, the man had lied to him, that was another matter.

As Voldemort strode toward the darker part of the alley, it was late in the evening and most of the shopkeepers were shuttering their doors and windows for the day. He passed by Borgins and Burkes on his way. As he glanced at the store front, he recalled the first job he had there after graduating from Hogwarts. It was where he had taken his first steps on the path toward world domination.

When he came to the place that his old source described, he found a make-shift tent, set up in a dead-end corner, next to a dealer in nasty potions, just as his source had described. This dealer in controlled magical creatures had a nasty reputation for using dark magic. Most people didn't dare to cross him. Before he entered, he circled the tent, placing silencing wards on every side and the top for good measure. When he entered, there was an ill-favoured man, sporting an eye patch inside.

The two men sized each other up for a few moments before Quirrell spoke, "I suppose that you are one-eyed William?"

The man glared at him suspiciously, "I ain't saying that I am or that I ain't. What are ya looking fer him fer?"

Voldemort took in the shabby 10 foot square tent. It was neither fine nor permanent. Such a thing was intended to deflect rather than attract attention and could be easily moved if needed. He said, "If you were One-Eyed William, I would offer you a substantial amount of galleons for one live dragon egg from your fine establishment. And if you weren't One-Eyed William, I would have to kill you and let him know that someone else was sitting in his shop. In either case, I don't have the time to quibble."

The stranger responded immediately, "Keep yer voice down. Do you want everyone in the alley to know what yer lookin' fer?"

Voldemort casually replied, "We will not be over-heard. I've seen to that."

The stranger thought for a moment, then responded, "If I was One-Eyed William, it'd be getting' on to dinner hour and I'd be closing up for the day. I'd be suspicious of Min'stry snoops and I wouldn't keep anythin' like that in me shop. And if I ain't One-Eyed William, I'd have no idea where to get such a thing."

Voldemort responded, "Let's just suppose that you are One-Eyed William. If I were from the Ministry, I wouldn't be here alone and expect to leave here alive. So, let's suppose that I'm not one of them. I have the gold. Can you deliver the goods?"

The wizard snorted, "I don' think you got that kind o' gold, squire."

Voldemort looked significantly around the shabby tent then retorted, "You should be the last one to judge by appearances. I just might surprise you. Why would you turn away a potential customer?"

The wizard softened a bit, "Which breed you want?"

"Any of them would do. A dragon is a dragon."

The other wizard nodded, "Right, a dragon is a dragon. I charge ten-thousand Galleons for a live dragon egg, if ya don' care what breed it is."

Now it was Voldemort's turn to chuckle, "We both know that you seldom get more than two-thousand on a good day. For ten, I could get a full-grown Hungarian horn-tail delivered, complete with pedigree papers. Try again."

William sized him up again. This time, he made a reasonable offer, "If you had a breeder's license, that is, and ya don' because I know every breeder in Britain and yer not one of 'em. Three-thousand, cash up front and I'll arrange a dead drop fer ya ta pick up the goods tomorrow."

Voldemort countered, "two-thousand, half up front and half on delivery when I've had a chance to examine the goods. Same arrangement you have with your regulars."

Now William was in a state. How did this man know the deal his regular customers had? What he didn't know was that the other wizard had been gently probing his mind the whole time they were talking. Voldemort also knew that the man already had one egg on-hand, at his house, for another customer.

William's eye widened for a moment, then narrowed again, "Yer no regular customer. It'll be three, up front, or no deal."

"Very well", Voldemort snapped. He reached into his robes, pulled out three sacks and dropped them on the counter contemptuously, "Here is your gold. Now, how will you deliver the egg to me?" What William did not know was that the galleons represented Quirrell's entire life savings. Voldemort had ruthlessly ransacked the man's vault. It didn't matter since Quirrell would not live long enough to need retirement money anyway.

William quickly inspected the contents and weighed the sacks, "Right then. We have a deal." He handed Voldemort a slip of parchment, "Read this tomorrow at noon, not before. It will reveal where the egg is hidden so that you can pick it up."

Voldemort nodded, "I will see you tomorrow then."

William's eye narrowed again, "No. Ya won't. This is a dead drop. You will not see me again unless yer wantin' ter pay out again."

Voldemort left the other wizard but didn't leave at once. He disillusioned himself and watched as one-eyed William closed his shop. Just as William was about to disapparate, Voldemort lunged at him and grabbed his cloak. They both disapparated to appear outside his home.

The man went to fire a dark curse off at Voldemort, but he had already been disarmed. Voldemort stood back a pace, aiming both wands at William's chest. The last thing he saw was the flash of dual stunners. With the man unconscious, Voldemort quickly retrieved the sacks of gold. He wiped the man's wand clean and returned it to his holster. He took his time, learning where the egg was hidden and modifying the man's memory. When he awoke, he would remember closing up his shop as usual, then coming home to find that the egg was dead and having to dispose of it. Getting creative, he implanted the memory of the man being despondent over the loss of the egg and getting drunk. His work done, he carefully levitated the man into the lone chair at his table and placed an empty bottle of fire-whiskey near his hand.

Voldemort made his way to the cellar of the house where the egg was kept warm by a glowing magical fire. Wrapping the egg in enchanted cloth to keep it warm, he stuffed it into his robes.

He could have killed the man, but the murder would have attracted the attention of the ministry. He deemed it prudent to leave no traces that he had ever been here.

**Hogwarts**

The twins cornered Harry soon after the Slytherins had been caught. He asked them warily, "Is there something I can do for you two?"

Fred (or George) said, "Well, we are the only ones"

George (or Fred) added, "Who are yet to try"

They spoke in unison, "so what's the plan?"

Harry smirked, "I have a plan and it's beautiful."

The twins eyed him suspiciously, "Would you mind sharing it?"

The first phase of the plan is the same as the others. We draw Filch away from his office and keep him away as long as possible. But before that you have to get caught in pranks by Filch so that he will put you into detention. I know for a fact that the drawer we need was recently found by the Slytherins and that their attempt was fouled. It is possible that Filch still has that drawer somewhere in plain sight i.e. if he hasn't had the time yet to restore his office. Maybe, if you are lucky, he will ask you both to restore his office to order. We keep him away; we will keep him busy while you two and Lee Jordan find those detention records and copy them. We don't want to steal them. We just copy them and leave the originals there."

The twins grinned, "it is perfect, Harrikins. But why would Filch give us detention?"

Harry smirked, "Well… One of the rules they always announce at the beginning of term is, 'No magic in the halls between classes.' Who's to say that the two of you didn't notice that Filch was around and started levitating snow-balls at each other and got caught? It would be even more effective if one went astray and hit Filch in the side of the head."

Gred said, "That's brilliant…"

Feorge continued, "But you forgot one important thing…"

Together they said, "We never get caught!"

Harry gave them his best lop-sided grin, "Not entirely true", he said holding up the marauder's map, "Besides, it's all for a good cause."

Fred and George looked at each other and said, "He's got us." Then turning to look at Harry, they said, "We'll do it!"

"Excellent!", said Harry. "Just leave the rest to me."

When it was time to do the deed, Harry and Neville were on the second floor with Peeves. Harry grinned at the colourful poltergeist, "Peeves, how would you like to create some trouble?"

Peevsie cackled with delight bobbing his head up and down furiously,

"Where there is strife,

Where there is trouble,

Call on Peevsie,

He'll make it double."

Harry nodded, "Brilliant! If you would be so kind as to harass Filch when he is taking the Weasley twins to task? Cause some mayhem and make him come after you. Take him on a wild goose chase around the castle. Does that sound like fun?"

Peeves bobbed his head quickly, "Peevsie be doing that, Potty."

Harry wanted to correct him about using his name but decided it was not worth the effort. When Peeves left, Neville grinned, "You are using the Claw's plan with the exception that you're getting Peeves to do the distracting instead of sacrificing ourselves?"

Harry nodded, "Yes. And why not? Their plan was good. It would have worked if not for the mysterious and unfortunate events that thwarted it. Somehow, I don't think we'll have the same problem. Besides, Peeves can keep Filch busy all day and he's not going to get a detention or lose any points from our house and he will have us to help him a little."

**Stealing the records**

The twins had decided to carry out Harry's cunning plan. All that was left was to decide who their hapless victim or victims would be. They thought that perhaps bombarding a teacher with levitating snow-balls would be a bad plan because they would be serving their detention in a place that was not Filch's office. Provoking another student also may not be a good idea because they might decide to seek revenge upon their hides and that would be a distraction from their true purpose. Maybe the best way to get a detention with Filch was to use the snowballs on him. In the end, they just decided to prank the first person that came along, but the Headmaster, their head of house and Snape were off limits.

They set up in a first floor corridor behind some suits of armour. They didn't have long to wait before who should come along but hapless, twitchy eyed, stuttering Quirrell. The perfect victim! And just to show that luck was with them, Argus Filch was approaching from the opposite direction.

The snowballs seemed to come whistling out of nowhere. They smacked Quirrell repeatedly on the back of that ridiculous, huge turban. He threw his arms over his head and tried running for cover, but the snowballs pursued him relentlessly no matter what he did.

It didn't take Filch ten seconds to reason out what was going on and who the culprits were. With a shout of, "Weasleys!", the chase was on. The twins sprung from their hiding places and ran for the nearest secret passage behind a nearby tapestry. They weren't trying to lose Filch, but with his knowledge of the passageways, the old squib did a surprisingly good job of keeping up.

They led him on a merry chase through many of their favourite short-cuts. They let it go on for about ten minutes before they led him back toward his office. They "hid" in a small, unused room right next to his office and waited for him to catch them.

Seconds later, with a huffing and wheezing to rival the engine of the Hogwarts Express, the door creaked open to reveal the flushed, sneering face of the caretaker glaring at them, "That's the last straw! You two brats will pay for this. Attacking a teacher. You'll be expelled. Come along now."

The twins pretended to be appropriately horrified at being caught and even showed fake remorse for what they had done but Filch was having none of it. He dragged them to his office and gave them a thorough tongue lashing. He even cursed the names of other students who had recently given him so much grief. After satiating his hunger for verbal abuse, he pulled out a parchment and a quill to write. While he was doing all that, the twins had been carefully surveying the office. Evidently, Filch hadn't yet the opportunity to set his office right since the Slytherins had raided it. They could see the drawer that had the desired detention records in it. Unfortunately, part of the mayhem left behind by the Slytherins was that those records were out of order. That meant they would have to sort through them before they would get the relevant ones.

Filch was about to give them their punishment when there was a mighty boom. Filch cursed loudly, "PEEVES! I AM COMING FOR YOU. THIS TIME I WILL HAVE YOU banished from the castle!"

He turned to the duo and sneered, "Don't touch anything and don't leave. I'll be back soon enough to award you two brats appropriate punishment."

Filch was on his way up to the second floor where Peeves had smashed a bust of a medieval aged wizard. The bust was in pieces. When he reached there, he found Peeves and some students running away from the scene. Filch followed them throughout the castle for about 10 minutes. He was almost bowled over when Peeves brought Mrs. Norris from somewhere and threw her at him. The cat landed on his chest claws first and he toppled over backwards. It barely took a minute for Filch to untangle himself from Mrs. Norris and regain his feet, but that was sufficient for the students to be able to get away and Peeves? Well Peeves was already gone.

Meanwhile, back at his office, as soon as Filch left, Lee Jordon entered the caretaker's office with a sack charmed with a bottomless charm, an idiotic grin on his face and asked the duo, "So what's the deal?"

They both said in unison, "Stop wasting time, Lee. Filch'll be back any minute now. Copy these and make yourself scarce."

They knew the duplicating spell. This was a good opportunity to practice it. One curious thing about the spell was that anything that they duplicated through it wouldn't last forever. It depended on the size of the thing and its complexity. If it was something like a book, it could last from a few hours to a day. For bigger and more complex things, it wouldn't last for more than a few hours. The detention slips, taken as a whole were no more complex than a book. So, if they put all their intent and power behind it, they could make the duplicates last as much as three days before they vanished.

They levelled their wands at the stacks and intoned firmly, "Geminio". In an instant there was a flurry of activity as every piece of parchment slip lit up once before it faded again.

As soon as they finished the duplicating spell, Lee left the caretaker's office lugging the sack on his back.

Filch came back about 10 minutes later and the twins had to suppress their laughter. He was covered in dust, his clothes were wet, his stringy hairs sticking to his scalp and bits of food in his hair. He was so deep into fury and ranting about Peeves that he let them go without awarding any punishment whatsoever.

The twins happily left but they failed to see the two blue eyes twinkling with amusement on the wizard who was standing in a corner. Headmaster Dumbledore had unravelled the mystery which he had been mulling over.

Dumbledore was not called wise without reason. When he learned that Filch's office was being attacked again and again, he got curious as to what was in his office that attracted the students. He was amused when he realised that the Gryffindors too were after the detention records which the Slytherins had stolen a day ago. He had an inkling of the fact that the students were after the detention records of a particular year since the Slytherins had been sorting through them. To know the end of the game, he had asked Filch not to rearrange his office yet. He could have stopped Lee then and there but did not interfere because he wanted to see what the end game was. The Slytherins had been given a week's worth of detentions and 50 points had been taken off Slytherin as a punishment which was a miracle since the punishment was awarded by Severus Snape. Unknown to Albus, the Slytherins had not said anything to Severus about the pranking competition nor did they reveal anything about their last team member, Fawley heiress. As a rule of the Slytherins, they never revealed their secrets to anyone.

It was a pity that Neville had not been looking at the map when the twins performed their heist or they would have discovered the Headmaster observing their team. He and Harry were busy leading Filch around the castle on a wild goose chase.

When Dumbledore returned to his office, he summoned the ghosts. When they were all in his office, he started addressing them, "Take my word to all the portraits in the castle. Tell them that I want them to stay awake at night and keep an eye on every student who is breaking curfew, especially students belonging to Slytherin and Gryffindor. There is something happening and I have got to know what it is."

He knew that Argus wouldn't be any wiser about the heist because nothing was missing from the records. He also didn't have the eye for detail so he wouldn't know if something had been moved from its place. He mused about the year so far. The year had been exceptional with more going on than any other he could remember, and his memory went back a long way. It was hard to keep track of everything but it felt good to him. Something in his old bones told him that this year was going to be remembered for years to come and not because of Albus himself but for something else.

He also mused about bringing some changes to the castle. The comment that little Harry had made about Binns only teaching Goblin revolts was very true and maybe it was time to hire someone who could engage the students and not just drone on and on. The only troubling bit was the post of Defence teacher. He was reasonably sure that Voldemort had cursed the position so that no teacher could keep it. In fact none of the teachers that he had hired since that night had lasted more than a year. Every year some kind of misfortune awaited them. Even the more celebrated or hardened individuals he had hired had fallen victim to this. One was the celebrated curse breaker Patricia Rakepick. She had to lose her job because of the fiasco of 'Cursed Vaults' and was forced to flee Hogwarts. Sadly she was also the best instructor in DADA in the recent years with the last one being Professor Merrythought who retired decades ago.

**The Marauder's Grimoire**

The first year dorm was empty at that moment, save for Ron who was reading a book on Chess Tactics. When they came in running, he cautiously asked them, "Where have you two been?"

Then he noticed the twins and the shifty looks that they were giving each other, "What are you two hiding from me? You can tell me."

"Our business Ronniekins is our business. We are doing no wrong."

Harry however decided to include Ron in what they were doing, "We are actually doing something which must be kept quiet. We can use your help with it."

Ron instantly agreed, "How can I help?"

They poured the records out between the five of them on Harry's bed.

Harry turned to Ron, "These are detention slips for the years 1975-78. We are to find those detention slips which belong to year 1975-76. The sooner we can sort them out, the better."

They started sifting through those slips and in about 25 minutes, they had sorted through all of them. Making sure that they had indeed collected all the slips, Harry turned to the twins, "Since we only needed the one year's records, the rest are superfluous. Let's copy the pranks from them for future reference and compile them. You know, sort of a Marauder's Grimoire which we can use and add any pranks of our own for future generations to use. My father and his best mates created one marvel, we can certainly add on to it."

The twins grinned, "That would be a mighty fine idea, Harry."

Ron heard everything and had many questions of his own to ask. His brothers never actually made him a part of any of their plans yet they had accommodated Harry easily. He had to know the secret to that.

20 minutes later, they were done selecting those records which contained any prank. It was also unanimously decided that they would only list a prank in the grimoire when they had tested it for themselves to ensure that it actually worked and was worth the effort.

**The first round is over**

After they were done separating the detention slips for that year, the twins went on to invite the other houses to the room where they had met, to make the announcement that Gryffindor had won the contest.

The twins had no problem in conveying the message to Cedric in Hufflepuff who took the message to Lucian Bone in Slytherin and the twins themselves took it to Kelsen whom they found returning to the Ravenclaw tower. Unknown to them, their every move was being watched by all the portraits throughout the castle and they were all dutifully reporting everything to the headmaster.

When they met in the room where they had announced the prank tournament, Albus Dumbledore was present in that meeting. Unknown to everyone, he had cast a snooping charm on the Fawley Heiress and he could hear every word of it clearly. He didn't even need to be in the same room as them to listen to them.

When they all gathered, Harry started to address them, "My friends, this has been a very exciting 5 days. I am sure we learnt a lot from these experiences. Some of us were caught and put in detention but none of us informed on the others. For that I am very grateful to all of you. Now on to this task, every house had their chance to try something to get the desired records but none succeeded except Gryffindor for reasons unknown. We watched everyone and we learnt our lesson about where others failed. Slytherin team was successful in getting the records out of Filch's office but they were caught in the effort. We employed the same strategy but we didn't move them out of his office. We only had them copied and took away the copied ones."

Bole protested, "But it's against the rules."

Harry gave his best lopsided grin, "No Bole. I nowhere said that you had to get the originals. If you didn't work around it then it was your mistake. There was no way that you could remove the originals without Filch knowing about it. So we have won it fair and square."

Bole tried to say something but Murphy interrupted, "He's right, you know. He never said that they had to be original. None of us came up with that simple work-around."

Harry grinned, "So, as you will all agree, Gryffindor has won this round and we get 10 points for it. Now are you all up for the next task?"

The grin that graced Harry's face was making them think twice but Cedric showed Hufflepuff is nothing if not brave, "We are ready, Harry. What is the next task?"

Harry gave a maniacal grin, "Our dear dungeon gracing Professor Snape has some very interesting potions in his office in the dungeons. One of them I have heard is a potion which enables the drinker to walk through fire without harm. I want that potion. Whoever can bring it will win the next round. You get two weeks to try and get it."

The others visibly shuddered. Cedric said with a grimace, "It would be easier to battle a dragon than to nick something from Snape's office, Potter-Black. Could you not come up with something easier?"

Harry grinned, "Of course I could come up with something easier, Cedric, but that would defeat the whole purpose. Well this is what I am offering to you all. Take it or leave it. The choice is solely yours."

Others reluctantly agreed. 100 Galleons was not a small amount for a school student to let go. Nicking something from Snape would be difficult but not impossible.

Before Harry dismissed the meeting however, he had one more thing to say, "Before I forget, I had the slips sorted. We vetted those slips which can give you an idea for a prank and I am sharing those slips equally among us."

Bole asked him in amazement, "But why? I mean you have won them."

Harry smirked, "This does not matter, Bole. I am willing to share among us irrespective of our houses or any distinction that you make. Do you agree?"

With them having agreed, Harry distributed the detention slips among themselves and the meeting was dismissed with each having to think about the next task.

As others were leaving, Cedric asked Harry, "Ready for tomorrow, Potter-Black? I'm going to knock you off of your broom tomorrow."

Harry remembered that the next day was the broom race. He and Pucey had been talking about it but they had decided that they won't take any advantage of knowing what they were to do beforehand. Pucey was one who played fair and won't agree to Harry's demands anyhow. However it was going to be interesting.

Harry grinned, "Bring it on, Diggory. We'll see tomorrow."

Dumbledore took it all in. He decided that if he could not punish them then maybe he would be the spectator who watches everything that is put together. And maybe he could ask if Minerva would be gracious enough to join him provided that she would tell nobody else. It was definitely entertaining for him but how would it achieve anything was beyond Dumbledore's comprehension. But then perhaps it was supposed to be so twisted so that no one would be able to see the entire game unless the prize became clear. The prize in this case could be anything considering how young Harry was. If Albus were any judge of people's life expectancy on their magical core, then he would live for long years before starting his next great adventure.

He was also thinking about the task that Harry had set for the others. To get a potion from Severus's office would be difficult for most of them. The potion in question was not an ordinary potion. Only the most talented NEWT students could brew it. It was very tricky to brew but when brewed correctly it would enable the user to walk through any kind of fire whether ordinary or magical. What use he wanted to make of it was beyond his understanding but may be when he watched the entire game, he would know. For now he could not wait for this broom racing.

**Great Hall**

Next morning, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with all of his friends. When Pucey arrived with the others Harry hollered for him, "Pucey come and join us here."

Adrian was initially reluctant but then he realised that if Harry could gather the courage to sit at the Serpent's table then he definitely could brave the Lion's for one morning. He and two others came over to the Gryffindor table where Harry had saved them spaces across from him.

When Pucey slipped in, he whispered to Harry, "You know there is a reason I was not sorted into Gryffindor, Potter-Black. The hat told me that I don't have the courage that is required to be a lion."

Harry waved him off, "We are not going to maul you, Adrian. In fact it is nice that you have come to sit over here. Having someone present who can present a different view about things is definitely useful in the long run."

Susan asked him cautiously, "Is it just me or is Snape glaring daggers at us?"

Neville snorted, "Wonder boy loves to get his dander up. Now Snape will spend the whole day frothing at the mouth, wondering what misery he shall inflict upon Harry."

Harry gave Susan his best lop-sided grin, "My minion speaks the truth, Susan. I just love to get a rise out of our dear beloved Professor Snape."

Neville objected, "Today is your turn to be the minion."

Adrian interrupted, "You do realise that the dearest Professor you are talking about is my head of house?"

Ron, who was devouring a roasted potato, said between mouthfuls, "it's just a head with no brains."

Adrian asked with a touch of curiosity in his voice, "Do you people always behave like this? I mean when you are at the Slytherin table, you behave like one of us but here you are completely different."

The twins who had joined them by now spoke in unison, "Ease up Pucey. Your father isn't here to watch you. Besides this is how we lions behave. Any problem with that?"

Adrian raised his hands in a pacifying gesture, "None at all. In fact, I find it refreshing. Things are quite different at the Slytherin table."

Hermione asked him curiously, "How different?"

Adrian turned to her, "before I answer your question, may I know your name, Miss?"

Hermione replied, "Hermione Granger, muggle-born."

Adrian raised an eye-brow, "I hadn't asked your blood status, Miss Granger. These things matter very little to me or to my family. We belong to the neutral spectrum of the Wizengamot. By your leave, may I address you as 'Hermione'?"

Hermione was dumb-founded. She had no idea why she told him that she was a muggle-born. Perhaps she thought that Adrian was cut from the same cloth as other purebloods in Slytherin but he had surprised her. In fact she was so surprised that she had not even heard the last part of his question.

Adrian waited for her to answer for 5 minutes before Harry spoke, "Congrats Adrian. You have done what nobody could. We all have tried everything save placing a silencing charm on her but we couldn't get her to keep quiet. You managed it without any trouble."

Hermione hit him on the arm while others laughed. She then turned to Adrian, "You may call me Hermione provided you give me leave to address you by your name."

Harry eyed her curiously, "Already learning our ways, Hermione? We will have to watch our mouth next time we speak."

Adrian chose to ignore his quip and nodded to Hermione, "You may call me Adrian, Hermione. Now as to the answer to your question…" Adrian smirked mysteriously, "A true Slytherin never gives up his secrets."

His answer elicited a chuckle from those around him while Hermione huffed, "That was hardly any answer."

Harry pacified her, "Hermione, one of the first principles of being a Slytherin is to keep your secrets to yourself. A true Slytherin would never give up his secrets."

Oliver Wood who was sitting near to them asked, "So when are you lot starting your Quidditch training again, Adrian?"

Adrian grinned, "I would repeat what I said to Miss Granger just now, Oliver. A true Slytherin never gives up his secrets."

At the teacher's table, Minerva McGonagall was watching everything that was happening. It was unimaginable that Slytherin students were mingling with her lions and getting on amicably with them. In fact, they looked so much at home there that if they weren't wearing their house colours, she wouldn't have realised that they didn't belong to her house. Whatever Albus may say about Harry playing at politics, she liked this change. If the students stopped bickering among themselves then things would get so much better for the school.

Albus tilted his head towards her and said, "A lemon drop for your thoughts, Minerva."

McGonagall scowled, "My thoughts are worth more than the ridiculous muggle candy that you are so fond of, Albus."

Albus chuckled, "Indeed. So what are you thinking about?"

"I am wondering why none of the teachers ever tried doing something like this in the past? It would have saved us a lot of trouble and may be, just maybe, things would have been better."

Severus Snape was sitting on the other side of Dumbledore, hearing every word of their conversation while frothing at the mouth. His attention was turned on the Gryffindor table like every other teacher. He listened to the wistful comment she made and sneered, "Nothing would have changed with bullies like Potter and Black roaming around the school and taking on other students only when they knew they were in sufficient numbers."

Minerva turned her glare at him, "Does your prejudice know no limits, Severus? James died protecting his wife and son. He is respected as a hero among us. True he was a school yard bully but he was adequately punished for each of his transgressions. In fact I recall he stopped hexing you every time he saw you after becoming the Head Boy. But you carry a grudge even now. Sirius fought against the death eaters during his brief stint as an Auror and won renown for himself. He saved countless lives in his short career which in my opinion expiates him from any of his so-perceived crimes during childhood for which he was adequately punished in the school. Sirius was also accused of betraying his brother like friend and spent 10 years in Azkaban for doing nothing yet no-one can accuse him of harbouring any grudge or hatred against anyone in his heart. On the other hand, you are carrying childhood grudges in your heart. You have spent all your life hating two people- one of whom is dead and the other was unjustly punished. Has no one ever told you that carrying a grudge like that in your heart for years is like having a wound which can never heal and would consequently fester?"

Albus listened to the volleys of torrents back and forth helplessly. These two were always hard to get along with and Minerva never let a moment go to make Snape realise what wrong he had done. When he finally had enough, he said a bit loudly, "You are both bickering like school children while the real children are behaving like mature adults not caring about what is in the past. From my personal experience I can tell that clinging to the past is never beneficial."

**Duelling classroom**

Their duelling practice had been coming along nicely now. For the last week, they had been practicing dodging as Flitwick had asked them to. While they didn't make it a competition between them, neither of them used a wide area stunner on the other. When they practiced, it was with an intention to get better and not to best the other. So far, Harry was better at drawing his wand faster while Neville was best when it came to using any spell he could call to his mind. He displayed no inhibitions to use whatever was on the tip of his tongue. For Harry everything was instinctual. When he would cast, he would know by instincts what he should be doing next. This was a blessing and bane at the same time. While it allowed fluidity in his movements, if he was pitted against someone who could watch him move, they would know what he was going to do next. Harry was not one to break an impasse with creative thinking but he used brute force to ram his way in while Neville would take time to dismantle the opposition.

When they arrived this evening for the lesson, Flitwick was waiting for them with his wand in hand. As they both entered, he started casting without giving them a moment to think. They scrambled around to save themselves from the onslaught and ran in different directions to escape the tiny charms master who for his size and age was moving very fast and hard to keep pace with. He would shoot a spell at Harry then in a moment, he would be sending another at Neville. They both ran around like headless chickens for 10 minutes before an idea occurred to Harry. He ran in Neville's direction wildly making some gestures with his hand. The gestures were gibberish to Flitwick but Neville understood what they meant.

A moment later, Neville had raised a shield which covered both Harry and him while Harry fired from behind the shield at the charms master. Flitwick grinned in appreciation for the ingenuity and started sending shield breakers at them. When the wave of shield breakers started coming their way, Neville and Harry scarpered in different directions lowering the shield.

This time they had agreed on their plan Alpha which they had devised to best Flitwick. Flitwick was quicker, faster and more knowledgeable than them so they could only take him on with some creativity.

As they had agreed, they started sending incendio at the tiny professor who for a moment was surprised but then started flicking their spells aside. They kept at it at a constant pace for about 5 minutes until Flitwick became complacent that he could take everything from them when Harry made his strike.

As it was his turn to cast, he deliberately delayed casting his spell and then he sent an over-powered stunner at the Charms professor. Their intention was to catch him off-guard with the stunner and even if he was able to raise a shield, they were sure that their over-powered stunner would break through it and stun him.

As Flitwick had gotten into the rhythm of swatting their spells aside, he didn't realise that he had swung too quickly before the stunner reached him. His eyes spread in surprise and he was knocked back with the power behind the spell.

When they woke him up, he said in his squeaky voice, "Very ingenious, Harry and Neville. But next time please remember my size and how much damage you can do to me with an over-powered stunner."

They both gave a grin which made him shudder and he looked heavenwards and sighed, "I have raised monsters! They will eat everyone on the duelling circuit alive."

Since he had hurt his head and was too sore to instruct them about anything more for now, he let them off telling that they should expect such surprises more frequently.

**The Broom Race**

The broom racing competition was to take place from the top of the Astronomy tower which posed a problem for them. The Astronomy tower was the highest point of the castle and to get there while ditching security was not an easy task. On any given day, there were at least two Professors and 6 prefects on duty and many of them had to come up from the dungeons which was the fiefdom of the Dungeon Bat who was infamous for prowling the corridors and was reputed to spring out of a dark corner when he was least expected. If he caught four of his Snakes going to the Astronomy tower with their brooms in hand then things would get ugly for them. He would put them in detention without wasting a moment or worse, he may follow them and find out the entire thing. That would cause problems for all of them and in particular Hadrian Potter-Black who was famous for getting Snape riled up even for doing nothing. Everyone had heard about how Snape hated the boy and the boy always showed him why he was superior to the Dungeon Bat by refusing to rise to the bait. Snape had used everything to get him angry but Harry kept his calm and mocked his attempts with that lopsided grin which he gave to everyone.

The badgers were also in the basements and they faced the same problem as the Slytherins. They just couldn't stride up to the Astronomy tower bold as brass, carrying their brooms on their shoulders. Their problem was that they were closer to the Great Hall than others and Filch could find them if they got reckless. Some students had even reported that he spent most of the nights lurking about their common room in the hopes of catching someone out of bounds.

The claws had relatively little trouble in getting up to the tower considering they were on the second floor but still it was a long way to go. Besides the Grey Lady liked to keep an eye on the students and dutifully reported to the head of the House or of the Headmaster, if asked. Some of them knew that the portraits were Headmaster's spy network, so they were to be watched too. However they were sure that they could get up there safely with some precautions. They only had to use the secret passageway which only the Claws knew about and led from the library to near their common room. The passage would take them up to the fourth floor. Near the library was an ancient tapestry which concealed a passageway behind it. The passage led up to the sixth floor and they would find themselves somewhere in the vicinity of the Boy's bathroom on the sixth floor from where they could walk up to the top of the Astronomy tower.

The Lions would face no trouble in getting up to the tower since they lived on the seventh floor but still the way was fraught with dangers. The Astronomy tower was situated on the other side of the castle and Harry was sure that Snape would lurk about their common room just to get even with him and that was risky. However the game had to go on. Snape was just one obstacle they would have to overcome. After all, they were sorted into Gryffindor for their courage and resourcefulness.


	19. Chapter 19

Albus was in his office, contemplating his next course of action. He knew there was some sort of race competition tonight in the forest but that was all. He could only guess what it was about or what it would lead to.

He would have liked to invite Minerva in on this but quickly realised that perhaps that would be a bad idea. She was not one who took kindly to rules being broken. She would have put all of those students in detention and made them wary. They would know that the teachers knew and would try to be more secretive and he was not going to let that happen. Entertainment, as it was, was already very hard to come by in the castle.

The serpents knew how to get around the Dungeon Bat who lurked in the dark gloomy corridors. He was always there in the corners but most of them knew which ones to avoid. This was a secret which was passed down from generation to generation because the students wanted to avoid any confrontation with their head of house, putting him in the awkward situation where he would have to put them in detention.

The badgers also had their ways around the castle. After all a badger often has to dig a hole to live in where he can be relatively safe from predators or other perils. Their main concerns were Snape and Filch. Filch these nights was often prowling around on the third floor so they were relatively safe unless they wandered onto the third floor. One of the badger prefects told them that Snape was not on patrol on that particular night so the chances of them running into him were small. They remained cautious all the same and made their way from the badger's hole to the top of the Astronomy tower.

The eagles had no trouble getting up to the Astronomy tower. Most of them had the knack of night time raids to the library to get a book to read or to find some more knowledge. The secret path from the second floor where the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower was situated to the fourth floor and the library was well known to them. From there, there was another short-cut to the sixth floor and the Astronomy tower entrance.

The Lions kept an eye on where everyone was by using the map. Harry noticed Snape was skulking around on the 3rd floor which was enough to make him and Neville suspicious but that left their way clear for now. Filch was chasing Peeves around the castle and for once it had nothing to do with them.

When it was nearing the appointed time, they made their way up the Astronomy tower. Thanks to a custom-made item which they had commissioned from Gambol and Japes through owl-order, Harry and Neville were in possession of a device which would erect a repellent ward. It was not a ward which could be distinguished by anyone at once and it would not have kept someone away who was determined to get through it but a casual onlooker would suddenly remember that they had to be somewhere else and not venture in the direction of the Astronomy tower. Neville had been given the duty to take the device and keep it activated while hiding under the Invisibility Cloak near the tower. He was supposed to keep an eye on the map to see if someone was where they shouldn't be.

The students had little trouble getting to the Astronomy tower. They had made some arrangements to distract the prefects and teachers on patrol while others made their way up. Neville had taken his post and started keeping an eye on the others. Absent-mindedly thinking about something, he did not activate the map right away so he had no way of knowing that Dumbledore was also on the tower until he would activate the map. Dumbledore for his part said nothing but remained concealed in a dark corner. He took sufficient care not to bump into any of them and give away his position.

After they had all assembled, Wood asked Harry, "What's the plan, Harry?"

Harry smirked, "The plan is simple, Wood. There's the forbidden forest and it's teeming with creatures. What the team captains need to do is to select a champion who will go into the forest and fetch a unicorn hair. To make this a little more interesting, the champion must be a male, not a female one."

Hillard was bewildered, "Are you mental, Potter-Black? Nobody goes into the forest in daylight and you want us to venture in there in the dead of night?"

Harry gave his best grin, "Well I don't know about you, Hillard but I have ventured inside a couple of times. I find it eerie, not scary. So, are you up to it or not?"

One of the twins said, "Come on, Robert. We've been in there plenty of times. There's nothing dangerous in there. If you wish, we'll go into the forest."

Gwendoline asked Harry, "Potter-Black, why did you make it male only? Do you think women are weak?"

Harry gave her his best grin, "Oh no, Gwen. You see my uncle once told me that Unicorns tend to run from men but fawn over women. Sending you ladies in would give you an absolute advantage, considering that there are only two ladies here."

Cedric said irritably, "Enough buttering up the girls. Let's get on with it."

Fred (or was it George) asked, "Any other tidbit that you want to add, Harrikins?"

Harry grinned, "Just this, we take off at the same time. Those who return here with a unicorn hair will win. If any of you don't get the hair, you can return here empty handed. But, if you do, there'll be no points for that."

With that done, the captains named their candidates. First was Oliver Wood who chose Cedric after Cedric convinced him that he knew a little more about creatures than most. Hillard saw his advantage in having a Weasley in his team and chose George. Gwen chose Fred while Pucey had a little discussion with Harry before Harry managed to convince him that he was the best man for the job. Finally it was time for take-off.

As the Snake in Lion's clothing never did anything without first having a plan, he already knew what he was going to do. A day ago, he had called Sirius on the mirror.

_**-Flashback starts-**_

_Sirius grinned as he saw Harry, "Hey Pup, everything alright?"_

_Harry nodded. He noticed Sirius seemed to be outdoors, "Where are you?"_

_"Grand-father has secured an apprenticeship for me in Germany. I arrived here this morning. Right now I am in the process of settling in."_

_"Why was I not told? And when will you return?"_

_"Well, you can always try asking Grand-father about why he didn't tell you, pup and I expect to be here about 5 months."_

_"So are Moony and Grand-uncle still in London?"_

_"No, Moony is here, with me. He will be leaving in a week to conduct some other business in different parts of the world to return to London after about 3 months. Grand-father has no immediate plans to go anywhere but I can't say anything about his plans with conviction. If he feels like it, he could go back to the Black Castle or the Chateau. It depends on his mood entirely."_

_Harry grumbled, "And if I need some family, who am I supposed to turn to in that case?"_

_"Andy is there, pup. You can always go to her. If you need something, feel free to send her an owl. Now what did you want to ask?"_

_"Oh right. I digressed. I want to know where I can find a unicorn in the forest."_

_Sirius raised an eye-brow, "Now what is this about? What do you want to do with a Unicorn and why are you going into the forest? I know I give you a lot of leeway but you should not abuse the freedom which is given to you. Don't get into anything dangerous."_

_Harry eyed him, "Really Sirius? Don't you think it's ironic that you, of all people, are telling me about being safe? If you can't answer my question, that's alright. I'll ask Moony."_

_"Don't get your shorts in a knot, Harry. The unicorns range all over the forest. Is there something special that you want?"_

_"A hair. I need a Unicorn hair and that from the forest."_

_Sirius nodded in contemplation, "Do you have to pluck it off the tail of a live unicorn or do you just want a hair? Because a Unicorn would gore you with its horn before it will let you touch its tail."_

_Harry grinned, "That is a fine idea, Padfoot. Where do you think I can get the hair then?"_

_Sirius said offhandedly, "oh you can find a lot of them tangled in the undergrowth or the bushes. They get tangled all the time. Alternatively you can always ask Hagrid to give you one. I recall that bloke always has some handy."_

**-Flashback ends-**

He knew what to do. He was going to go into the forest, have a look around in the bushes and find that hair. For the sake of the competition itself, he decided to just try finding a Unicorn first. Where there was a unicorn, the chances of finding a hair in the nearby bushes were much better.

The four participants took their places at the ramparts of the Astronomy tower ready to take off. At a whistle from Wood, the twins and Cedric took off immediately flying upwards. Harry however went into a plunge eliciting a shriek from Cho and a gasp from others.

Harry levelled off his broom about 20 feet from the ground and started flying towards the forest. At this range, he could see what was on the ground more clearly than the twins or Cedric who were flying at higher altitude. He could see their silhouettes against the dark sky as their brooms buzzed above him.

Cedric was the son of Amos Diggory, who worked in the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures and he had long been very friendly with Hagrid. The two had great bonding over their shared love for magical creatures although Amos did not quite have the same view as Hagrid. While Hagrid may find a Dragon adorably cute, Amos would know it for the mindless beast that it was. He ran his department efficiently and effectively but he had certain fondness for Hagrid. Whenever Amos Diggory visited Hogwarts or it was Hagrid's birthday, he never forgot to bring a gift for him which was generally some creature. Cedric, like Harry, was conversant with creatures and knew of their possible haunts. The only problem that he expected to encounter was in finding the beasts and then taking a hair off its body.

The twins were confident of having no trouble with the beast. They knew that they would face some problems in getting a hair of a Unicorn but that was it. They had worked out a plan between them to remedy that. They knew that they worked better when they worked as a team, so, their plan was to find a Unicorn and then one of them would distract it while the other would pluck two hairs off its tail. They then could take a hair each and present it to Harry.

Cedric knew from his father about the alfalfa fields where the unicorns often went to graze and he made a beeline in that direction, evading the twins who were trying to pursue him. He was outdistancing them because their aging Clean Sweep Fives weren't quite as fast as his own broom. He travelled in that direction well above the tree tops and out of the way of any possible danger.

He had some trouble finding the place because it was ringed by trees. He had to pass over quite a number of times trying to find it before he decided that the best thing for him would be to fly below the tree tops. Flying in the forest below the tree tops in the darkness of night was a risky business. No one knew how many creatures lived in the forest or how sinister they were. Then there was the issue of navigating through the dark without any light. He could run into some over hanging branch and get knocked right off of his broom. This was a dangerous thing and it made the task all the more risky. The students also didn't know about the Unicorn deaths. There had been 2 Unicorns found dead recently and each one had died the same way. Their blood drained and their body mutilated. The centaurs were angry and actively looking for the one who was responsible for it. In fact, at night almost all the centaurs were out in force, armed with their long bows and ready to kill the one who was killing the Unicorns. Dumbledore too was actively searching for the culprit but he was not yet able to find out the culprit.

The twins had been to the forest before but they didn't know where they could find a Unicorn. Since they had never been on this type of errand to the forest therefore they were not at any real advantage compared to the others but they trusted their skills to be able to find one and get a hair. Unlike them, the other two participants were not going to work together so they had a little advantage over others.

Cedric finally found the place. And he could see Unicorn grazing. He failed to see the centaurs that were hiding in the foliage at the edge of the clearing, which worked as camouflage for them. The Centaurs heard the rustle of wind as Cedric closed in with his wand raised. Cedric had a definite plan in mind. He was going to fly in as near as possible and knock it out with a stunner before he took a hair of its tail. Amos had shared little titbits with him before about creatures in general and about ways to subdue them. Cedric's expression was gleeful as he could not believe his luck. There were two Unicorns grazing in the alfalfa field who seemed oblivious to everything around them. He had just pulled out his wand when there was the whistling of a cloth-yard shaft and he swerved hard to avoid the arrow which had been fired at him. Before he could understand what was happening, he heard the sounds of more bowstrings being stretched and arrows let loose. The arrows were coming with such speed that it left him little time to dodge them. He also knew that it was mortal peril for him to try and pluck a tail hair of a unicorn with the assailants remaining unseen, firing at him from all directions.

The centaurs had seen him coming in and with a signal from their herdsman Bane; the first centaur Magorian had let loose the first arrow. The centaurs generally preferred short bows but tonight they were using long bows for their additional damage and range. Plus the thrust they added to the arrow gave it lightning fast speed, making it hard for anyone to dodge their volley.

Cedric knew that he had little time before one of the arrows would lodge itself in his flesh so he did what he thought was best under those circumstances. He shot his broom upwards at its top speed. Even then, one of the arrows shot by the centaurs hit his broom and lodged itself in the broom handle, making it swerve wildly and threatening to throw him off. It bucked for quite some time before he was able to bring it under control again. When he had it levelled again at a distance well above the range of the arrows, it was still giving little jerks making it hard for him to ride it. He kept hovering upwards trying to find where the arrow had come from and after about 15 minutes of diligent searching, he was able to make out the centaurs hidden in the foliage. He knew them to be creatures of magic and that they were supposed to be resistant to magic especially minor spells such as stupefy or the petrification hex.

Besides there were too many to try anything that stupid. They were in such numbers that he could not hope to take on all of them and escape alive. Knowing that he had lost this opportunity, he decided to fly back to the castle. On the way, he spotted four legged golden creature walking through the trees. He followed them. It was as he thought a unicorn and a baby by the looks of it. He started following and saw the colt get entangled in a bush. He started to level his wand but saw the centaur in time which was following the creatures and decided to remain hidden since there was no need for him to show himself. Gambling with this luck, Cedric decided to wait this one out and to see if something would eventually turn in his favour. It looked like the Unicorn was taking its sweet time grazing through the forest and the centaur only followed it for its security. He would also help if the unicorn got tangled up in the brambles or vines. It was in one such bush that the unicorn walked and lost itself for some time. Cedric was waiting on the other side and as the unicorn came out that way, he performed a summoning charm to earn himself a hair. Grinning to himself he started to return to the castle.

The twins followed their previous tracks in the forest and they mostly kept their eyes on the small path that Hagrid had carved out for himself whenever he went in or out of the forbidden forest. The forest was huge and it was very easy to get lost there and never to be found again. The only way that one could be hopeful of returning was if they knew their way inside or if they could fly. The twins were flying so they were not in any danger of getting lost but they knew that Hagrid liked to meet the beasts by themselves and to care for them so they kept following his path in the hopes that it would lead them to a Unicorn. Like Cedric, they didn't know about the recent trouble with the unicorns and the beast which was going around and killing them.

When they saw one of the beasts, they decided to bring it down before it could flee. A quick stunner would have got the job done but the sight of the centaur with his longbow had them thinking again.

Fred turned to George, "What do you reckon...?"

George continued, "We should do?"

Fred looked at him and grinned, "Let's?"

George gave an equally toothy grin, "Yes. Let's."

This was their code when they wanted to play the game of distraction. They knew that the Centaur could shoot both of them out of the sky with little trouble so they would have to outsmart him and that meant distracting him. It was clear to them that the centaur was guarding the unicorn and they were far enough that they were not sure if the summoning charm would work. Fred took off towards the centaur at full speed but not being oblivious to the bow in his hand. The centaur knocked an arrow in an eye-blink and let it loose in that moment however Fred had already pulled his broom upwards and the arrow could not touch him. He however was careful to let the centaur know that he had not gone but remained there. He would show his face to the centaur and then disappear before he could let another arrow fly in his direction. He was trying to get the centaur to follow him and leave the Unicorn alone. The centaur was testing his patience. He would fire arrows at Fred but would not budge. Finally Fred had enough and he decided to take a chance. He fired a few stinging hexes in the direction of the Unicorn and that enraged the Centaur. He broke off in a run all the while firing arrows at Fred who had turned tail and started flying out of the forest.

George who had been waiting for this moment immediately neared the Unicorn enough to summon two hairs from its tail. His prize obtained, he flew off in the direction of the castle to find his twin. Fred, as it turned out, had been able to ditch the centaur and waited for his twin at the edge of the forest. They regrouped and flew towards the Astronomy tower.

Harry had started directly towards Hagrid's hut. His plan was to enter the forest from that direction then try to find a Unicorn hair. He had only been in the forest a little while when he thought that he heard a voice up the path. Hastily thinking, he landed on a tree branch which was just ahead of him and hid in a thicket of leaves. With a careful peek through the thicket he was hiding in, he saw two centaurs talking. He did not understand most of what was said but he got the gist. They were talking about a beast which was attacking the unicorns and that the centaurs needed to tighten security. Near them, a Unicorn laid on the ground with a wound on its neck which looked like puncture wounds. Why anyone would do something so horrible to such a marvellous creature, he could not understand. What he did understand was that they were in danger of being killed and the centaurs had driven away the said beast just that night.

Harry carefully flew past them without making a sound to find another unicorn. He came upon one in the forest at some distance from where he had seen the injured one. This one was by itself with nothing to protect it. Before he could decide upon his next course of action, he perceived through the gloom a hooded figure which was gliding towards the Unicorn. It was a humanoid creature with a big head, cloaked in robes which covered everything from head to foot. The robe was dark black making the classic mistake of being too dark to blend perfectly in the gloom under the trees. The Unicorn appeared oblivious to the danger to it and kept grazing. Harry knew he had to do something before the creature reached the unicorn.

He levelled his wand and shot a spell at the figure while muttering the incantation under his breath, "Stupefy." The spell missed the figure by sheer luck but it gave him the general direction of Harry. As the gliding figure found Harry Potter-Black near him, it abandoned the Unicorn in favour of chasing the boy-who-lived and killing him. Harry pulled his broom into a sharp climb and that was when he discovered to his horror that the figure could fly. He let loose a spell chain of leg-locker jinx-petrification hex-Stupefy but the figure was alert and all the spells were wasted. He neared Harry while dodging the spells. Harry had neglected to urge his broom to greater speed, distracted by his attempt to try and bring the figure down. The figure was almost upon him now but the strange thing was that it emitted no body odour. Harry could see fang like teeth but before the figure could seize him, there was a rustling sound and an arrow whizzed past the figure. A centaur had come upon the scene. He had no problem realising that the mysterious figure had been the one killing Unicorns lately. Before the figure could decide upon the next course of action, another arrow was let loose hitting it in the leg making it hiss in pain. It also convinced him to flee or the Centaur would fill him with arrows until he resembled a hedgehog.

He fled straight at Harry. Harry lost his grip avoiding the mid-air collision and almost fell off his broom. As the figure was gone, the Centaur turned to him, "Come down, youngling. Let us talk."

Harry's heart was still racing with the excitement of the encounter that he had with the figure but he knew he could not escape before the Centaur would shoot him down. He came down as the Centaur had requested. The Centaur stooped down so that he came to Harry's eye level. His electric blue eyes pierced into Harry's making him shiver slightly and the Centaur said, "You should not come here, Harry Potter. There are too many dangers in the forest."

Harry asked him in a small voice, "What was that thing? The one you saved me from?"

"A wretched creature who kills unicorns to feed off their blood. Unicorn's blood can save one from certain death but it only gives a cursed half life."

Harry scrunched his nose in disgust, "Who would do such a thing?"

The centaur asked him mysteriously, "Can't you think of someone who would do that to keep existing in this world? Especially if they can obtain something later which will give them a body and life free of any curses?"

Realisation dawned on Harry and he asked, "Voldemort? Do you mean that was Voldemort?"

"Do you know what is hidden at the school? Something which can give life to even a dying man?"

Harry's eyes spread wide in surprise, "The Sorcerer's stone!"

The centaur nodded, "Yes. He is after it to get a body again. Now off you go and be careful."

Harry nodded, "Thank you for saving me. I will get going. What is your name?"

The centaur who had started to walk after the Unicorn, said over his shoulder, "Firenze."

As the Centaur disappeared in the thicket, Harry started looking around to see if he would get lucky and get a hair. To his immense relief, there was the distinct silver gleem of a unicorn hair stuck in the bushes. Carefully, he took it out of the bush to stow in his pocket.

When he returned to the Astronomy tower, the twins had returned already. Pucey sighed with relief when Harry appeared, "Potter-Black! Thank Merlin you are safe. I thought you too met with the centaurs."

Harry raised an eye-brow, "What do you mean 'you too'?"

The twins narrated everything that they had gone through in the forest. Harry however was not in a mood to recall everything that he had heard so he omitted the parts about talking to a centaur but only showed them the hair and that he had taken it off a bush after it was caught there.

They cried in dismay when Cedric appeared, grinning like an idiot and an arrow through his broom. Cho exclaimed loudly, "Cedric what happened?"

He told them everything that he went through and when he was done, there was pin drop silence. Dumbledore also listened to everything that the students said. He also realised that perhaps Harry was keeping back information. The problem was that he could not just call him up to his office and talk about it. That would make him wary of the headmaster.

The silence was broken by Neville who opened the door and rushed on to the roof of the tower, panting, out of breath. He steadied himself for a few seconds before he bellowed, "Snape is on his way up here."

That was enough to cause wailing among the students and pandemonium to reign for the fear of being caught for certain until inspiration hit Oliver, "Saddle up everyone. We're going to fly down."

Gwendolyn protested, "Are you an idiot, Wood?"

Pucey however saw the merit in the idea. He asked her, "Do you have a better idea or do you want to be put in detention and may be lose a bunch of points?"

When she shook her head, he continued, "Let's fly down. The Gryffindors can fly to their tower on the other side of the castle and the claws can fly to their tower on the second floor. There are bound to be windows open to let them in. We and the Hufflepuffs will fly down to the double doors and enter the castle without dismounting. We will only dismount when we are outside of our common rooms."

The plan being made, it was put into execution at once. Harry had to take Neville with him since he didn't have a broom with him. When they reached the first year dorm window, it was locked from inside and they kept hovering outside until Ron stirred and got up to use the bathroom. He let out a cry of shock when he saw them hovering outside. Without wasting a moment, he threw open the window to let them enter the dorm. Quickly putting his broom away, Harry and Neville jumped into their beds while Wood retreated to his own dorm with the twins following at his heels. It hardly took more than a minute and with everyone crawling into their beds, Ron was the only one left standing. He shook his head once before he collapsed into his own bed.

The claws found a window which opened into their common room. A few of their class mates who were still up and studying promptly opened the windows letting them in.

The badgers and snakes did not dismount at the double doors but flew inside and all the way down to the entrances to their common rooms. There they dismounted in record time to run inside their common rooms. It seemed that they had arrived in the nick of time because about a few minutes later, the common rooms were being searched for students who had broken curfew. They found no one still up in Gryffindor and even checking the dorms didn't reveal anything for they all appeared to be sleeping. There were a couple of stragglers in Ravenclaw but most of them were fifth years or seventh years who were studying hard for their OWLs or NEWTs. The Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms were likewise deserted.

The raids had happened at the insistence of Snape. He had arrived at the top of the Astronomy tower, out of breath with a smug grin on his face. The grin however was wiped off when he realised that there were no students up there but only Dumbledore in his purple robes adorned with moving sun and stars. As the headmaster saw him, he said jovially, "Severus, my boy. Tough night? What brings you here?"

Snape's lips curled at the ends, "I was looking for stragglers, Headmaster. I was told that some students are breaking curfew. There was also a repelling ward around the steps of the tower."

Dumbledore's twinkling intensified, "It was my own doing, my boy. I find it that the dead of night is the best time to think about things and I didn't wanted any distraction. However I assure you that there were no students here."

Severus said challengingly, "Then let's get the dorms searched. We will know shortly."

Needless to say, the search revealed nothing and Snape was treated to some very choice words from McGonagall for waking her up in the middle of night for nothing.

**The next morning**

The next morning, Harry was in lost in contemplation and his friends noticed. Hermione decided to ask him what was going on when he sprinkled sugar on his eggs rather than his pudding, "Harry, is something bothering you or do you like your eggs extra sweet?"

He looked at her like he had just noticed her, "Huh, what?"

Isobel, who was sitting beside him swatted him on the arm, "What she means is that you are distracted. What's got into you?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. Just thinking about an assignment is all."

Before they could ask anything more, he saw Snape shuffling to the Teacher's table and he had a severe limp. He asked Neville, "Am I imagining it or is Snape limping?"

Neville looked at the potions teacher and nodded, "Looks like he hurt himself sometime during the night. I mean he was fine yesterday..."

Before Neville could finish, Harry shot him a glance to make him stop talking. With that it was time for classes. On the way, he told Neville in an undertone to invite Daphne for a meeting.

**Library**

When Harry met Daphne in the back of the library, he had a lot to tell. As agreed, Harry and Neville were there.

When she arrived, they each had already picked up a bulky tome and pretended to be lost in them. She took a seat and waited for them to notice her. She knew they were doing this intentionally and kept her patience. She could count on Harry to speak after the silence had become stifling.

Harry raised his head as if noticing Daphne for the first time and asked Neville, "Umm Mate, there is an unwanted visitor over here. Do you know anything about it?"

Neville however was more cautious and decided not to play, "I love my limbs Harry so I am not playing along with you."

Harry pouted for a moment but under the icy glare of the Ice-queen, he gave up, "Alright, Daph. I have news and it is important."

Just dropping this line in there, he waited for them to say something. Daphne slightly showed the tip of her wand from under her sleeve while talking to Neville, "You know, Neville, mother wanted me to practice that particular curse which changes people into popsicles."

Neville snorted, "A Harry-Popsicle would taste terrible, Daph."

Harry gave up, "Alright, there will be no changing little Harry into popsicles here. Last night we had the broom racing competition…"

Neville interrupted him mid sentence, "Harry, do you have the map with you?"

Harry nodded and produced the map, "Yes. Why?"

Neville activated the map, checked it once to reassure himself before he turned to Harry, "Yesterday, I came to alert you about Severus Snape coming but I also saw Dumbledore on the top of the Astronomy Tower with you."

Harry shuddered, "Say no more. Looks like we missed a step somewhere. We will have to keep an eye on things around us the next time one of us opens his mouth."

Daphne protested, "But I've got to hear about the broom racing thing you were just talking about."

Harry had stood up by then, "Let's meet near the lake. It will be less obvious if we sit out of the way there and keep the device erected. We will know if someone is trying to follow us."

Collecting their books they made their way down all the way to the far side of the lake where they chose a secluded corner for their clandestine meeting. For what it was worth, they erected the ward device. When they were comfortable, Kreacher popped in with a platter of sandwiches and flagons of butterbeer for them.

Daphne who had been patient until then turned on Neville, "What happened yesterday?"

Neville raised his hands in a pacifying gesture, "He hasn't told me a word yet, Daph. I am also waiting upon his pleasure."

They both turned on Harry who had just put a sandwich in his mouth. He took his time to chew and swallow before he spoke to them, "Alright, yesterday we had the first event of the flying broom competition. This event had four of us go into the forest for a Unicorn hair. When I was in the forest, I ran into a figure who was trying to kill a Unicorn. It was certainly humanoid but I couldn't see it's face because it was covered with a hood. To save the Unicorn, I engaged the figure. I kept firing spells at it while it tried to get me. When it was very close, I noticed that it had fangs and that it seemed to have no body odor. Finally I was saved when one of the Centaurs came in and drove it away."

Daphne asked him sternly, "What gave you the idea to confront it, moron? What if something had happened to you?"

Harry waved her concerns aside with a grin, "Daph, I was fine. Although the figure could fly, I could out fly him. After the centaur drove it away, I talked with the centaur. He told me that recently a few Unicorns have been killed for their blood. He also said something about unicorn blood giving a cursed half-life but I'm not sure I understood that part."

They were both worried, "Harry, you have to stay alert. Voldemort would not stop at anything to get to you. You have to tell someone."

Harry raised an eye-brow, "Daph, whom would we tell? The Headmaster would like to know what I was doing in the forest at that time. Lord Black would be angry that I am risking my life foolishly. Moony and Padfoot are not here."

She frowned, "But Harry we have got to do something about it."

"I know and I promise if something else happens, I will go to Dumbledore."

Daphne remembered why they were meeting here in the first place and asked Neville, "What were you on about Snape and Dumbledore in the library?"

"Last night, I was on duty to keep the repelling ward up and to keep an eye on people on the map. Sometime after mid-night, I noticed that Snape was coming to the tower. Then I noticed that Dumbledore was already there. At first, I thought that maybe he had caught you all but his dot remained stationery. So I assumed that the map was not working properly."

Harry eyed him warily, "Minion, the map never fails. If it showed that Dumbledore was there then he was there. We will have to be more careful from now on."

Daphne asked him curiously, "How did all of you escape if Snape was coming your way?"

Harry gave his best grin, "We had our brooms. We flew down before he saw any of us."

Neville chose that moment to ask, "Harry why were you going on about Snape injuring his leg?"

Harry said simply, "When the centaur drove the figure off last night, one of his arrows hit him in the left leg. Snape was favouring his left leg this morning."

Daphne frowned, "You mean to say that…?"

She left her question hanging and Harry took it from there, "Yeah. I think it was him. He has been drinking Unicorn blood."

**Ministry of Magic**

Dumbledore was presiding as the Chief Warlock over this session of the Wizengamot as usual. It was supposed to be one of many monthly routine meetings however his mind was caught up in what he had heard last night. The students had run afoul of the centaurs so he went to see them in the morning. Bane, the herdsman told him about the encounters. Two of them were nothing extraordinary, but the third one was interesting. One of the students had come into contact with whatever was attacking the Unicorns and even fought with it till one of them drove it away. What worried Dumbledore was the identity of the creature.

He however could not dwell anymore on it because his attention was needed for the Wizengamot session for now. These sessions had become tedious and it was seldom that anything happened which could incite his interest. Besides the stone was at Hogwarts and he needed to keep the stone safe or they would find themselves saddled with a war before they had time to prepare. Minister Bones was in talks with the Department Heads. They already had a long round of discussions about recruiting Aurors but the talks had ended fruitlessly. The chief issue had been that of money. The rate of taxes which the ministry levied had not been revised for about a decade. In fact many of the houses which were supposed to pay taxes were far in arrears. Many had ceased to exist. This caused a lot of trouble for the Ministry's budget. The second issue had been that the dark faction did not want any more Aurors to be maintained since it interfered with their work and their prosperity. Thirdly some of the senior Aurors felt that lowering the bar of eligibility would compromise the standards of the Aurors. Their concerns however had been addressed by the Minister. She told them they would recruit but only those who passed through the ringer at the end of the three year training period would make the final cut. The rest could become hit wizards or such.

Albus strolled into his seat at 10:00 A.M. and rapped his gavel, "Close the doors." As the doors closed, he continued, "Welcome to the February regular session of 1992 of the Wizengamot. Let the proceedings begin. Firstly we have the proposal of increment in taxes which has been put forward by our esteemed minister. Minister, the floor is yours."

Amelia stood, "Thank you Chief Warlock. The issue before this august body is of the increment of taxes which are levied on the houses or the common wizarding populace. The tax rates have not been revised in the last decade even though proposals to that effect were put before the former minister. As the evidences suggest, Cornelius Fudge accepted gratuities from certain individuals for looking the other way and to slip those proposals under the carpet." (A very polite way of saying that the minister was taking bribes) "The ministry has found that certain individuals or houses have had their wealth increased manifold but the ministry did not get a Galleon of it. The gold which we raise from the taxes goes to pay for the salaries of the ministry employees which, I must add, have not been increased in the last decade either despite the inflation rate being quite high. The ministry also allocate funds to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry through the Board of Directors. The same fund is used for education of deserving but poor students. I would add here that the condition of the finances at the school and its facilities is a matter of public record and we need to put in money to ensure the best of facilities for our children. I put this proposal for debate before this August council as to whether we should revise the taxes or not."

Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "those who wish to speak for or against the motion please raise your wand."

The first to do so was Lord Black followed by a number of others. After about a minute Dumbledore spoke, "Lord Black, the floor is yours."

Arcturus stood and surveyed the chamber with a critical eye before he started speaking, "This proposal put forward by our honourable minister has merits. The ministry is the responsible body for swift action in our world. If it stands in need of gold, how will we ensure the welfare of those who are on the fringes of society and cannot make ends meet? The duty for their welfare falls on the ministry directly and indirectly on us, the Ancient and Most Noble Houses. We have the responsibility for the welfare of the people. We have failed in this task. After the fall of Voldemort, the demographics of our world changed. Many of the benevolent houses which had worked tirelessly for the greater good ceased to exist. This duty came to rest on the shoulders of the few who remained. I am ashamed to admit it but we have failed in our tasks. It was our duty to provide succour to them and we couldn't do that. Instead, a concentrated group of individuals started filling their coffers while the bumbling buffoon Cornelius Fudge failed in his duties. Crime festers in Knockturn Alley. It was supposed to be an extension of Diagon Alley and expand commerce, not crime. The ministry doesn't interfere there because we don't have enough Aurors. That is because the ministry does not have enough gold to pay for their salaries. The employees of the ministry are forced to work for meagre salaries because the ministry is poor. That is the way of things now. I say we, the Ancient and Most Noble Houses cannot let this stand. Let's do strive for the betterment of our world and help our able Minister in any way we can. As far as the taxes are concerned, the rates are very low in comparison to similar places in neighbouring countries. Even the revised rates wouldn't be anywhere close to what exists in those countries."

When he was done, the entire chamber was silent as if enraptured. Many of the heads of house who were blessed to have survived the war were reminded of the reason as to why Arcturus Orion Black was a moving force in the wizarding world. He had a way with words that none else seemed to have. His arguments were so persuasive that even his most staunch opponent would have to reluctantly agree with what he said. In the past, he had opposed many motions from the side of light while his family sat on the opposite side. The members of the light faction were indeed glad that he was on their side now. The new lords who had never seen him in action were in awe of the imposing presence that he cut and the quality of his arguments. He appealed to the sense of duty of the houses while subtly establishing that while the ministry governed the wizarding world yet it remained on the good graces of the houses. He underlined that while only a few houses or certain individuals may have found favour with the former minister, this new government was more accommodating to all the houses. Not to mention he had been instrumental in Amelia Bones entering that office. It was assumed that she had full support from him and his allies. In the minds of most of them, it was already a done deal.

Some of the elders of the Wizengamot who had broken bread with him, shared a glass of mead with him or were regulars to the balls organised by the House of Black were smirking. They knew him well enough to assume that the proposal likely came from him. At the very least, Amelia Bones wouldn't have presented this motion unless she had talked with him beforehand. He would have made some changes to it so it would be acceptable. That however was a moot point because even if Amelia hadn't discussed it before hand with him, he would now ensure that it will pass for he had publicly endorsed it.

The Chief Warlock rapped his gavel, "Thank you for the illuminating argument, Lord Black. Would anybody else like to speak in support or in opposition of the motion?"

Lady Longbottom raised her hand with a few others and Dumbledore nodded, "Lady Regent Longbottom, you have the floor."

She stood haughty and proud, "this proposal by the ministry is sound. I don't see why the tax rates should not be revised. The wealth of our world, as it seems, is concentrated among a small handful of us while most of them are living at a standard below most others. In fact, I distinctly remember the rates of taxes were revised at regular intervals before the war. The wealth was used to ensure welfare of those who really need it. Due to lack of funds, the ministry had to cut short several of its programs which it ran for the poor and needy. In addition, they have cut funding to Hogwarts which has led to deteriorating facilities and standards at the school. The ministry also has severely curtailed the number of Aurors. There are now less than half of the numbers that used to be before the war. I say that we should support this motion for the minister is determined to do good for all of us."

When she sat, Dumbledore rapped his gavel again, "Is there anyone else who wants to address this issue?"

After two very prominent lords had spoken in favour of the motion, it was expected that none of them would oppose it but Lucius Malfoy, in his attempt to assert his authority as the de facto leader of the dark faction, raised his wand. Dumbledore sighed deeply, "You have the floor, Lord Malfoy."

"This proposal by the minister has been brought at short notice. We were not given time to think things over. The clauses of this proposal need debating before it can be discussed as a whole. The proposal isn't clear about how the funds will be used? Where they will be disbursed and there is no mention of any accounting."

Minister Bones stood at her place, "Chief Warlock, I want to address the concerns expressed by Lord Malfoy."

Dumbledore nodded, "Permission granted, Minister."

She turned to Malfoy, "Lord Malfoy, if you had correctly looked upon the copy of the proposal which was sent to everyone in this chamber about a week in advance you would have known that this is merely a proposal to revise the tax rates and not to introduce any new ones. There are a few clauses which are about dealing with those who, for whatever cause, find themselves in arrears on their tax payments despite being given ample opportunity to pay them. Even for them, an ample time has been put forth to pay their taxes and avoid prosecution. For those who couldn't genuinely pay, there are measures in place. This proposal was sent more than a week in advance for the Lords to study and discuss. Of course, any member of this council may put forth amendments to this proposal before we vote."

When Malfoy did not speak for about 5 minutes, Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Is there anyone else who wishes to speak in favour or opposing the motion?"

When there were none, he rapped his gavel again, "we will now vote on this motion. Those in favour please raise your wand with tips being green."

The number of wands that went up was sufficient to convince him that the motion had passed however for the sake of formality; he had to ask for those who opposed the motion. The final tally came to 55-15 with 10 abstentions. With that out of the way, Dumbledore rapped his gavel again, "Does any member of this body wish to present a motion?"

Arcturus Orion Black stood, "I wish to present a motion, Chief Warlock."

About an hour later, when the Wizengamot adjourned sine die, Dumbledore cornered Tiberius Ogden, Elder of the Wizengamot, "Tiberius, I wanted a word."

Tiberius was an old friend of the headmaster and he always had time to spare for Dumbledore, "Of course Albus. What is it?"

"Tiberius, there are some things going on at Hogwarts which makes it imperative for me to remain at the castle. Not to mention, I have to make some arrangements in case we have some werewolf students in the next year when the school reopens so until June, I won't be able to take on my duties as Chief Warlock. Would you attend to this duty in my stead?"

Tiberius was not one to ask questions, "Of course Albus. Remember to send the necessary papers ahead of time for the next meeting."

**The Hog's Head**

A hooded man sat in the corner, a tankard in front of him full of ale. Anyone who observed carefully would have known that he had not touched the ale in front of him for the last ten minutes. He seemed to be looking at the door then looking at his watch. It seemed that he was waiting for someone. Since he had a hood covering his face, Aberforth could not be certain. He was wary of this customer but since he was not troubling anyone and had already paid for his fare, there was nothing that Aberforth could complain about.

The hooded man was Professor Quirrell who had the Dragon Egg safely hidden in a pouch with extension charms. He had originally planned to do this earlier but he had felt a terrible need for Unicorn blood to replenish his strength and to stock some. He had seen the security but there was no other way for him than to feed on the blood which gave him strength. He had injured one in the forest but before he could feast upon its blood, the centaurs had arrived and he fled. Later, he was about to corner another when the bane of his existence Hadrian Potter-Black arrived out of nowhere. He would have got the boy if the damned Centaur hadn't come along. The arrow that had lodged in his leg pained like hell. When he came out of the forest, he broke off the shaft and pulled the head out. He had never been good at healing and couldn't just go to Pomfrey to get his injuries dressed. He treated himself the best way he could. He tried to avoid walking around too often so that the students would not notice him limping. Gathering what little strength he had left, he came to the village this evening to try and ease Hagrid into telling the secret behind taming the Cerberus.

Hagrid, as was his routine, came strolling into the inn, being boisterous, greeting people at the top of his voice and sat down at the table where the hooded man was seated. The man pretended not to notice him for quite some time as he subtly kept Hagrid's tankard full with a refilling charm. When he could see that Hagrid was deep in his cups, the stranger struck up a conversation with him, "Do you know this place well?"

Hagrid replied, "Yes, I live at the castle up there yonder."

Then he asked the stranger, "Are you new to this place? Haven't heard or seen yeh before."

The stranger nodded, "I was here for some business and the deal went south. I have a portkey for the continent tomorrow morning. Until then I'm stranded here in this Merlin forsaken place."

Hagrid waved his dustbin lid sized hand, "Come come! It ain't that bad."

The man scowled (At least that's what Hagrid thought he did), "there's nothing to entertain me here. No one can even beat me at a game of cards."

Hagrid said jovially, "I'll play with you."

The stranger said eagerly, "Right then. What'll you wager? I mean, what do you have to add some interest to this game?"

Hagrid swept an object from his shirt pocket and laid it on the table. The silver gleam in the dim light was unmistakable. It was unicorn hair, at least a hundred strands of it, neatly combed and carded, worth at least a thousand Galleons if it was worth a Knut, "I have this."

The stranger examined the hair as if satisfying himself before he turned to Hagrid again and spoke in a low conspiratorial tone, "I have a precious thing to wager with me but I want to be sure that you'll be able to care for it."

He had Hagrid's full attention now, "Whaddya talkin 'bout?"

The man was whispering now, "I'm a trader from Greece. In the course of my business, I ran into a bloke in London who had a Dragon egg. Since Dragon eggs are quite valuable so I thought I could make a killing, selling it to a dragon reserve in my country. The problem is that the man was a smuggler. Now the Department for the Regulation and Care of Magical Creatures is actively looking for me. I'll put down this egg as a bet because I'm desperate to get rid of it."

To Hagrid, it was an opportunity which he had always dreamt of. One could say it was his deepest desire to raise a dragon and here was a man who was offering a dragon egg for a game of cards! He eagerly said, "Let's get the game going."

As the man opened the mouth of the pouch to give him a look, Hagrid's bleary, bloodshot eyes grew bright and wide as he beheld the egg inside before the man closed the pouch again. He said, "I would offer it to you but you have to assure me that you can handle a beast this size. Do you have experience working with beasts?"

Hagrid proudly replied, "I have bred a herd of Hippogriffs, the biggest herd of thestrals in Britain and a Cerberus."

The man was apparently convinced and the game got going. As the game progressed, the man continued to make sure that Hagrid drank copiously and his tankard was never empty. They kept talking for about an hour during which the man lost more than he won. The game was winding up when he asked him, "Tell me about the three headed dog. I have heard that you can't control a beast like that no matter how good you are with beasts."

Hagrid who was proud of himself for the way the game was going, said offhandedly, while his attention remained on the cards, "Every beast has a weak spot. Now my Fluffy, he looks dangerous but is a cute little thing. Just play some music for him and he'll go straight off to sleep."

The man had the information that he needed. He played a few more hands before he threw down his cards and handed the pouch over to Hagrid. He made his exit from the inn. He now had a plan to move ahead with a way to tame the beast. Soon the stone would be his.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hogwarts, a week later**

"Harry", Hermione asked, "Did you find out anything about that stone?"

They were sitting in the Common Room in front of the fire after curfew. There were only a few stragglers in the room who were busy with homework, wizard chess or exploding snap while Harry, Neville, Ron and Hermione were talking. The match-ups for the chess tournament had been announced this morning and Ron was looking for people to play with him. His first match was less than 2 weeks away and any of the Lions who spent any time in the common room had seen him demolish one opponent after another. They weren't going to sign up to be humiliated by him. None of the three presently sitting with him were going to go against him either. They wanted to have a chance to be in the tournament beyond the first round.

Now that Hermione asked him, he realised that he had almost forgotten Fluffy and the Sorcerer's stone. Between raiding Filch's office and the broomstick match, he had not thought about it and the stone was important because it could help people extend their life.

He turned to Hermione, "From what I know, the stone is being kept at Hogwarts for safety. The three headed dog is only the first level of defence. There are bound to be a few more down there. As for what it can do, it can give life to a dying man."

She raised an eyebrow, "How do you know so much about it?"

Harry patiently explained, "It is written in a book that one of the uses of the stone is to give eternal life to the possessor. This is how the Flamels have been staying alive for the last 600 years."

Ron asked him, "Do you figure that Snape wants it to extend his life-span or live forever?"

Neville answered for them, "We don't think that Snape wants it for himself. He wants it for someone else."

Hermione asked him in a small voice, "Who? Who would be powerful enough to force Professor Snape to do something for him?"

"Voldemort", Harry said grimly while Hermione and Ron yelped in shock.

After she was over her shock, she asked him, "Do you really think that Professor Snape is working for Voldemort? But Voldemort is dead, isn't he? You yourself had killed him. Harry I know that he doesn't like you but to say that Professor Snape was a death eater…?"

"Hermione, Snape was a death eater during the war. He only escaped punishment because Dumbledore vouched for him saying Snape had been his spy all along. But, I'm not buying it", Harry replied.

"Why? Do you think Professor Dumbledore would lie? Don't you trust him? Do you think he would save a death eater who has committed crimes?", she asked all those questions in one breath.

After she was done ranting, Harry answered her, "Hermione, I believe that Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive and I would trust him with my life. But he is not always straight-forward or simple. He has a fault that he believes the best of everyone no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. He is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Chief Warlock and the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. One cannot acquire such positions in his life if he stays straight and honest. While Dumbledore is a great man, he is also a master manipulator. He is like a chess master who knows all the pieces on the board and moves them according to his plans. As for Snape, my grand-uncle Lord Black told me that he was a death eater and not a spy for Dumbledore, at least not from the start. You see Snape was friendly with Regulus Arcturus Black, Sirius's brother and Regulus was close to his grand-father. Regulus told him that Snape was never Dumbledore's favourite pupil. His circle of friends always consisted of those who became death eaters later. In fact, if we are to believe it, Snape sat in Voldemort's inner circle and was one of his favoured ones. If he was Dumbledore's spy from the start, we would have prevented a lot of deaths. Being inner circle, he certainly would have murdered people or cast at least one unforgiveable in his life. Also there are certain secrets which I don't generally reveal but one of them is that Voldemort didn't die that night. He is still out there somewhere."

She arched an eyebrow, "What is an unforgivable? And how could Voldemort stay alive?"

Harry sighed, "I didn't realise that I was giving a lecture where you can ask questions, Hermione. Alright, I will answer these. I don't know how he survived that night but he is alive. The Unforgivables is used to refer to a set of three curses. Anyone who casts any one of these three would get a one way ticket to Azkaban. Even ministry Aurors and Ministry Officials cannot use an unforgiveable without permission."

She asked again, "What are those three curses?"

Neville snorted, "You don't know when to quit, do you? There are three very nasty curses but just talking about them gives me the creeps and I don't want to give anyone nightmares. Maybe another time."

Hermione figured that none of them were tell her anything more. She also knew that she could find the information in the library if she really looked. Besides, it was bound to come up in their studies sooner or later.

**Headmaster's office**

The Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, had come to talk with Albus in his office, "Albus, we need to make some special arrangements for the coming term", she said.

"To what are you referring, Minister?", he asked curiously.

She smiled, "Please call me Amelia, Albus." Then more sombrely, she continued, " Do you recall that we had announced that education would be available to those werewolf children who are of school going age and able to wield a wand?"

"Ah, yes", he nodded. He knew where this was going, "How many have you found so far, Amelia?"

She was surprised, "You sure guessed a lot from a question, Albus."

His eyes twinkled as he replied, "One of the advantages of being a century old, I suppose."

She chuckled, "We've found 5 of them so far. It's a start, but I suppose there are more out there. I know there have never been werewolf students at Hogwarts before. So I don't knowhow …"

Albus waved his hand as he interrupted her mid-sentence, "If you'll excuse me, Amelia. Indeed, there has been a student at Hogwarts who was a werewolf. I myself went to offer him a place at the school years ago and he was one of the best students of his age. For his monthly transformation, we used to sneak him into a place where he could not harm anyone. And that was before the discovery of wolfsbane. Things should be easier now with them being able to keep their minds while they transform."

Her mouth was open in surprise, "But Albus that was risky. What if he had harmed anyone at the school? Who was it? Also Wolfsbane does not come cheap. I don't need to tell you how bad the condition of the ministry coffers is."

Albus shook his head, "he is living a very respectable life at this moment and is well known in the community. I will not give away his secret. We kept him isolated at a place where he could not harm anyone. I would need some funds to refurnish that place though. As for the other problem, I have heard, Lord Black is starting a potions business under the name of 'Potter Potions' that will only deal with specialised potions. He may be amenable to supply it to us at a lower rate than what prevails in the market. You'd have to ask him though."

She nodded, "Since you already know what preparations you should make, I will leave it to you. As for Lord Black, I will go meet him tomorrow. In our last meeting, he was ready to go abroad saying that the townhouse did not suit him."

**Defence professor's office**

It had already been three days since that oaf, Hagrid, had let slip to Quirrell about how to tame the Cerberus. Voldemort had yet to test the verity of the half-giant's word. The oaf told him that to tame the three headed beast, he would only need to make it listen to some music.

Music, as it turned out, was neither Voldemort nor Quirrell's forte. Voldemort had never needed to do anything with it and Quirrell apparently had never felt the need to learn to play an instrument either. There was only one solution that occurred to him i.e. he would obtain an enchanted instrument that could play itself and smuggle it into the castle. (Of course, the muggles had something they called a "boom box", but those did not work anywhere on the grounds of Hogwarts due to interference from the exceedingly strong magical field there.)

He could not get an instrument through owl order because he suspected that Dumbledore checked all his mail. He could go down to the village to buy an instrument but that might attract unwanted attention. Dumbledore was friendly with the villagers so it would take no time for the news to reach his ears and he would find a way to poke his crooked nose into his business. He could not ask for leave to go to London on any pretext because he recently had taken a leave and used his only excuse for that. However there was one way for him. Easter holidays were next month and then he could go out without anyone questioning him. For now, he would try and see what he could come up with.

The problem that he expected to encounter was Severus Snape. Snape miraculously always seemed to pop up out of nowhere every time Quirrell went anywhere near that door on the third floor. Any plan had to include some way to be sure that Snape would be otherwise occupied while he made the attempt.

He had spent a couple of days trying to find a way when one of the elves of the castle brought a lute to him. It looked very old and there were runes etched in the mahogany of the top but the enchantment seemed to have worn off. If he could not restore the enchantments, Quirrell would have to play the instrument himself and he just didn't have the skill. Such a frustrating detail, but he was sure he could figure it out.

**Headmaster's office**

Dumbledore had so many things to do that he was thinking about taking a sabbatical just to get away from it all. But, that was not to be. He was the Chief Warlock even though he had temporarily given his post to Elder Ogden. He was also the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and the ICW always kept conferring with him on issues of importance. Lastly and most importantly, he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and this post was fraught with dangers.

He had the sorcerer's stone to protect from Voldemort, to find his horcruxes and to train young Harry so that when the time for confrontation came, the child would be more than ready. Albus will be beside him but it was Harry's destiny to kill him. Dumbledore could only be the guiding hand and nothing more. He had wanted to retire a decade ago but his love for teaching and the fact that Tom was not yet dead had stayed his decision. If Tom had died, he would have retired happily but that hadn't happened. If Tom had died, he could have placed Harry in foster care of any of the houses of the Grand Alliance and they would have been happy to take him in. In fact, Augusta Longbottom had insisted that Harry should be given into her care as Alice was his godmother.

In between all his occupations, Dumbledore never found the time for entertainment. In fact nobody ever thought that someone like Dumbledore even needed entertainment. He had been entertained that night when the students had gathered for the broomstick racing. He had been amused when he saw them retrieving the detention slips from Filch's office. Discreetly he had been keeping watch over everyone in the castle to see if he could glean a plan when they would be trying Severus's office for the potions. It was a dare which required guts because they knew that if they were caught, expulsion was likely.

"Headmaster, the students are planning an excursion to Professor Snape's office", reported the Baron as he floated in through the wall.

"Headmaster, the students under my charge are meeting in the common room daily to form a plan about how to get into the Potion master's office", reported one of the portraits. Its occupant generally hung in the Badger's hole but he came up to report when Dumbledore required it.

Dumbledore smirked, "Finally some entertainment that I have been craving."

**The serpent pit**

The Slytherins were still fuming with the loss of the prank bet. They had not stopped to think that perhaps they could duplicate the records. Also they were still stinging from their own head of house putting them into detention over it.

From the start of his teaching career at Hogwarts, he had never put a Slytherin in detention before. Even when his Snakes had clearly been at fault, he would hand out detentions and deduct points from other houses while rewarding his own students. It was largely due to this unequal treatment that the Slytherins had won the house cup the last seven years in a row.

They had never realized how bad this felt to the other students until now. They were losing points for the silliest things while the other houses continued to add gems to their hour glasses. As things stood, they were in third place, only ahead of Hufflepuff. One loss at Quidditch or one more mis-step and they would find themselves in last place, something they were sure would earn the ire of their head of house. Unfortunately, if they slipped up and got caught in the next step of the prank competition, that's exactly what would happen.

The next task was to steal a particular potion from Snape's personal stores. If they decided to cheat and brew it themselves, the shame of being caught out would be far worse than any detention. They decided they would rather raid Azkaban itself than risk that. Besides, the time it would take to get the ingredients by owl order would run out the clock for the prank. Of course, they could raid Snape's personal stores for the ingredients, but then they were back to raiding Snape's office again. If they were going to do that, they may as well do it right and swipe the potion instead.

Snape's office was a place more dangerous than Azkaban for them. Nobody knew what kind of potions were in his office or what he may have done to secure it against unwanted visitors. Pick the wrong potion or make the wrong move and they would be done for. They needed more information before they could make a plan. They spent two days casing the dungeons where Snape had his office and his classroom. They noticed that once he came out of his office in the morning, he returned only after the day was over. His office was also attached to his sleeping quarters so he was there from shortly after dinner until morning the next day. There was a door at the back of the dungeons which led to his office that was closed for most of the day. They thought that if they came in stealthily, they could take whatever they wanted and make their exit but it would require a solid plan. The window of opportunity which was open to them to commit this heist was between the hours of breakfast to the time when dinner ended.

For the rest of the information that they wanted, they approached Esther Coleman who was a very gifted witch and, as it was rumoured, a favourite of Snape. She had been scoring perfect grades in his class since she had arrived at the school and he doted on her. Rumours were that he was even willing to endorse her should she apply to someplace to conduct research on potions. He himself had been working with the Wolfsbane potion from the time it was invented to try and improve it but he didn't had enough time to conduct his research however and that was one of the reasons that he was always sour. He felt like the students should be more attentive to him and respect him for all the pain that he was taking for them and the sacrifices that he made for them.

Esther was sitting at a table in the corner of the Common Room reading something out of a potions book which they were sure was not a part of the curriculum but was gifted to her from Snape. They decided that their best bet would be Fawley heiress because she was the least suspect among them. Fawley approached her hesitating, "Esther, do you have a minute?"

She looked up and noticed her, "Of course, how can I help you?"

"Esther, I was reading a quiz recently. It had a question which I could not answer. I tried to think of the most appropriate person to ask and you were the first one that came to mind."

Esther's interest was piqued, "What was the question?"

She scrunched up her face as if thinking and then started to speak, "What can give immunity to a wizard to pass through a magical fire unharmed?"

Esther snorted, "A second year could answer that one. The Fire Protection Potion also known as the Ice Potion is a potion used to move through flames unscathed. When drunk, it induces a sensation of ice and frigidity in the drinker, and provides protection from most magical fires."

She grinned, "Thank you Esther. Do you happen to know its colour or what it is made of?"

She nodded, "it is dark Purple to Black in colour, as you would know. Professor Snape ensures that all of us can even brew it in our sleep if need be. I am curious how you did not guess the answer already."

She said evasively, "You know potions are not my forte. I can hardly get by with the grace of Professor Snape and the help of my year mates here and there. Esther, do you know where one can get the potion ready to consume without brewing it or buying it?"

Esther smirked, "Oh Professor Snape keeps them in stock just in case. There is always a vial or two in the desk in his office."

She asked excitedly, "Have you ever been inside his office? I've heard that it's a dangerous place."

She nodded, "yes it's a very dangerous place. Lots of potions in there which no one knows about and he has booby trapped his office."

She asked in confusion, "booby what?"

She smiled, "he has traps in his office. If someone were to enter without his leave, they won't be able to get out."

She shuddered internally but hid it well, "Thank you again for your help, Esther."

As she made to move away, Esther stopped her, "You know what they say. Information never comes for free. I have a price for what I just gave you."

She nodded, "Alright, how many galleons do you want?"

Esther snorted, "Galleons? That would be too easy a price for such crucial information, wouldn't it? I want a favour for the favour I have just done for you."

She said apprehensively, "What favour?"

Esther grinned, "Your father is acquainted with Mr. Belby and I want to work with him. I have heard that he will not take in an apprentice unless they are endorsed by someone in a position of influence. Who better than Lord Fawley? I want your father to give me that endorsement."

She internally thought, "Well, that's easy. She would get the endorsement from her father. He never denied anything to her." She turned to Esther, "Alright, I will get that endorsement for you while I'm home during the Easter Holidays."

That was one problem solved. Now they knew the potion was fairly simple to brew, that Snape always had some on-hand and that his supply was kept in his desk. All they had to do was figure out how to get it from his office without getting trapped there.

**The Badgers**

The Hufflepuffs too were thinking about the next heist. It was not easy but then if it were, Potter-Black wouldn't have asked. They also figured that there was no other way around it like the detention records. The potion was beginner level but he wanted from Snape's personal stores.

They too had been stalking Snape and recording his movements. They too had recorded his activities and when he did them. Like the Serpents, they knew that they had to work within a time limit. They needed help from outside their team. They would have to seek out the Serpents who dwell in the basement like them. Together they could find what they needed.

Cedric had called a meeting of his team members, "So a week has already passed and we are still at the same place where we started. Do you people have any ideas?"

Abercrombie said, "We have a definite window in which we have to act. By ourselves, we don't have much chance of getting the job done. We need help."

Cedric asked him again, "So what do you people reckon?"

Wilson smirked, "Why don't we ask the Serpents? We will just have to take two samples and give them one."

Cedric nodded, "Good thought. I will talk to Bole about it."

Harriet asked, "Why do we need their help? I mean why would they help us?"

"Because we know that there is only one door to his office. That door lies in the dungeons where he holds his classes. We can't get in during the day because he practically spends every minute in there. The only opportunity we would get is in the night or during the dinner hour. We will need to create a distraction, get him away from the office and then we can move in."

"What about Filch? Won't he come to investigate if there's a commotion in the castle?"

Cedric grinned, "No worries on that count. One of us will take care of that. Lock him in his office from the outside with a locking charm and put some silencing spells around it. He can spend the night sleeping in his office, while we carry out our plan."

"But Cedric, are you sure this is the only way? I mean Potter-Black isn't a person who would keep things simple."

Cedric said thoughtfully, "Unless he can walk around unseen and unheard and do a lot of complex magic, there is no other way for him to do it either."

**Eagle's nest**

The Ravenclaws were huddled around Murphy. They too had been reconnoitring Snape's dungeons. They apparently came to the same grim realisation that the only way was to get into Snape's stores.

"So Esmeralda, what do you think?", Murphy asked of her.

She mulled over her thought for a minute before she replied, "The only place where we can get those potions is his office unless there is some other place that he keeps them."

Gupta who had been scratching his chin in thought asked, "The infirmary uses potions, don't they? Where do you people reckon the supplies come from?"

Esmeralda snapped at him, "What are you getting at? Don't we already know that Professor Sn…"

She stopped speaking mid-sentence and turned to him, "You know you're a genius."

Agnes asked her, "What genius are you talking about?"

She was smirking, "Oh, as he said, the potions in the infirmary are supplied by Professor Snape. Now there is an off-chance that arranged among Madam Pomfrey's racks of potions is an unassuming looking bottle of the sought after potion. Who is to stop us from going to get it?"

They looked at each other in anticipation. Hadrian Potter-Black was going to lose this round.

**Lion's den**

"Harry, mate, sorry to break it to you but…", said Fred to Harry.

"…But we're really behind", continued George.

"If we are to get that potion"

"We should at least have a plan."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, we need a plan alright. We'd be risking our necks just marching into his office and lifting a potion. The problem is that it's Snape's office. Nobody knows how many protections are in there. We need to team up with others."

They both looked at him incredulously, "Are you mental, mate?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I'm not. The thing is that we'll need someone to check if he has wards in his office. Someone else should know exactly where he keeps it because I am not sure if we will be able to find it easily."

They both nodded, "So which devil do we choose?"

Harry said simply, "One of those who resides in the dungeons and can slither around a lot. Arrange a meeting with Lucian Bole."

**The unholy alliance**

When they met, Bole was eyeing him suspiciously, "What's your game, Potter-Black? Why would you team up with your competitor?"

Harry smirked, "Ah Lucian, we are in the same fix. We need to get Professor Snape away from his office for at least an hour. The only way he would willingly go out is if the Slytherins call him to say, mediate in a dispute between two members of his house."

"What do we get if we call him away from his office?", Bole asked him, "What are we going to gain from this transaction?"

Harry nodded, "It's as easy to lift two potions as one. We'll cheerfully provide you with one potion, worth 10 points in the competition if you do your part well."

They could see that the fish had taken the bait. Lucian was looking in the distance as if trying to visualise himself as the prank master of Hogwarts. After sharing a look with his friends, he turned to Harry again, "Alright, Potter-Black. We will do this together."

Harry nodded, "Just so you know, if we are blabbed upon or we are put in detention, we won't be able to deliver on the potion and whoever blabbed will have a lot to answer for."

Bole raised his eyebrows questioningly, "Are you threatening us, Potter-Black?"

Harry gave a maniacal grin, "Oh no. I don't waste my breath on threats. You may consider that a promise. That is the way of the Blacks."

The grin actually made Bole shudder with fright. It was the typical half grin which tugged at one corner of his mouth while the other end remained firm. It was accompanied with a glint in the eye which was full of malevolence, promising untold horrors. His grandfather had told him about it and how the Black's in the past had it. Half of the reason behind their aura was this grin.

They hastily made their exits wondering if they had made a deal with the devil himself. It was like riding a lion. You can't hold on anymore yet you can't let go. They would have to ensure that they got through this.

Harry on the other hand, hadn't wanted to take this tone with the serpents but he knew how crafty they could be. He wasn't naive enough to believe that they would remain steadfast and loyal to the alliance they had made amongst themselves so he had to subtly hint at what lies in store should they fail to abide by it.

The meeting between the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs took place near the dungeons. The Slytherins had to refuse saying that the Serpents had already figured out a way to do the task without their help. Maybe they could team up next time.

**The heist**

Esmeralda decided that she had been away from her broom for far too long. She was not on the team but owned a broom all the same and loved to go flying. She was joined by Davies and a few of the members of the Ravenclaw team who wanted to get an early start on practicing for the next season.

They took off as one and were soon chasing after one another on the Quidditch pitch performing manoeuvres. Appleby was calling the formations that they were supposed to form and fly. During one such manoeuvre, which was supposed to catch a member of the opposite team in a pincer trap, Esmeralda had Davies approach her from the other side. They both flew at Carmichael who was acting as the member of the opposite team. Carmichael saw them coming at him flying at a high speed and freaked out. As they neared him, he nose-dived at the last possible moment making it impossible for them to pull out of it in time. Esmeralda swerved her broom sideways in hopes that she could pass by without knocking Davies off his broom yet Davies too moved in that direction. As a result, her broom handle caught him in the stomach and he was thrown off his broom while her broom bucked and started going crazy. She was able to control it after 5 minutes of hard manoeuvring only to find that Davies was unconscious and laying in the snow which had accumulated on the pitch.

She went after his broom to retrieve it. When she landed, she asked Agnes, "So did we succeed?"

Agnes glared at her, "Succeed?! You could have killed him! Could you not try to be more careful? You got him right in the guts. You may have ruptured something. It was lucky that I was ready with a wand to catch him when he fell. You'd better get him up to the infirmary right away."

Murphy and Gupta seemed to appear as if on command. Gupta conjured a stretcher while Murphy said, "We'll get him there. Don't you worry."

As they trotted off the pitch, Agnes and Esmeralda fell in behind them. Agnes said, "We'll make sure they don't lose their way."

This was part of the Ravenclaw's plan. They needed to visit the infirmary under some pretence and nick the potion from Madam Pomfrey's potion cabinet while she was distracted. They had decided to injure one of their numbers so that they would have a genuine reason. It was not neat but it was all that they could think of.

When they entered the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey took charge of Davies while the rest of them fussed over him and kept distracting the witch. Davies came around as Madame Pomfrey began to examine him. He wasn't too badly hurt, but he'd be sore for a while. Esmeralda and Agnes took up their positions to watch Madame Pomfrey while Gupta and Murphy entered her office. To their good luck, the cabinet was open. However there were so many bottles and vials of potions that it boggled Murphy's mind as to whether he could find it in time. He decided to use his wits which were his greatest treasure and pointing his wand forth, he incanted, "Accio Ice Potion."

To their dismay nothing happened. They even rifled through the cabinet on the off-chance that maybe the bottles were charmed with anti-summoning hexes. However there was nothing. In their search, they even forgot the signal Agnes was supposed to give to let them know that the mediwitch was on her way to her office. Agnes coughed loudly but oblivious to everything else, these two were found going through her cabinet at their leisure. She whipped out her wand and shot two powerful stingers at their butts making them yelp. When they turned, they gasped in shock.

Madam Pomfrey sternly asked, "What do you two think you were doing?"

Gupta was thinking furiously and came up with an excuse, "We wanted a potion for cramps, Madam Pomfrey. You know that time of the month?"

She eyed them evilly, "Really? Are you two witches that you would need potions for that time of the month?"

Before they could say anything else, she picked up a parchment and wrote some lines on it, "Take this to Professor Flitwick. Detention this evening, here in the hospital wing scrubbing bed pans for me."

As they were leaving and were outside of the hospital wing, Murphy asked her, "What were you thinking mentioning that time of the month?"

He replied innocently, "I heard some senior girls in our house talk about that time and that unbearable pain it caused. I could not think of anything else."

Muphy face-palmed himself and muttered, "The girls aren't going to be too happy with us."

The four of them failed to see Neville Longbottom in the infirmary who had come in under the pretence of getting a pepper-up potion and noticed everything that happened. He had listened to what went on in Madam Pomfrey's office and could hardly restrain himself from howling with laughter.

The Slytherins and the Lions chose that night to raid Snape's office. Harry had already seen that Snape was around the third floor so there was little possibility that he could come out of nowhere and catch them.

Neville, armed with the cloak, was assigned to looking at the map and informing them if he came around. Harry and Richard Griffith both had been posted halfway from the grand-staircase to Snape's office. Their job was to distract him and keep him away from his office until they got the signal.

Some way from the Dungeons, Du Vant and Lee Jordon were hiding in the shadows. They were to act if Harry and Griffith failed to stop Snape. The twins, Bole and Fawley heiress entered the office. The door was unlocked by the twins who had learned of a spell from the map. This spell was a prank spell designed by the Marauders. It could over-ride any minor locking charm and had been forgotten in time as the knowledge was never communicated to the coming generations. The twins had needed to open the door for Snape out of habit had used a spell which could not be unlocked by most common unlocking spells.

As the office door opened, they all held their breath and waited to see if somehow a caterwauling charm would go off. To their relief, there was nothing of the sort. The second thing they did was to stun all the portraits in his office. They were not yet seen but knew that they could be seen if they ignited the tip of their wands and the portraits would report them instantly.

It was then that Fawley heiress stepped forward and started casting minor detection spells which were beginner levels to find if there were any wards. The results had her spread her eyes in surprise. A complex pattern of wards was laid down on the floor and each ward was meant to do a different function. One of the wards would make people stick to the floor while another would make them levitate upside down. The third was supposed to petrify them. She carefully wove a way around the wards which had been laid down and found their way around it eventually to his desk. As she stepped forward to open the table, the twins held her hand back, whispering, "Let's inspect its exterior before we open it."

She nodded, "Good suggestion, go ahead."

They inspected it very closely and found that a thread was glued in such manner to the drawers that if they were opened and then closed carelessly, it would not return in the same position and give away the fact that someone had been in his office.

After ensuring there was nothing else, Fred (or was it George) pulled out a small piece of rope and tied it to the handle of the drawer that they wanted to open. When Bole and Fawley looked at them questioningly, they shrugged, "Not all traps are magical. And you never know, there might be a sticking charm that activates when the drawer is opened."

As they carefully tugged on the rope, the drawer gently slid open to the welcome sight of several phials of a very dark purple-black potion. Their eyes spread wide at the sight.

George exclaimed, "Jackpot!"

Fred whistled, "The dungeon bat has been busy..."

George continued, "Looks like he brewed an entire batch of it recently."

Fred carefully levitated two phials out of the drawer. He pocketed one and handed the other to Bole. By that time, George had slowly let the rope go slack as the drawer slid shut. They had the goods. Now all they had to do was wait for the pranksters to gather and announce the winners of this round of the competition.

Snape was sure to miss the phials later. When he did, he would have all the dorms searched. Of course, he wouldn't find anything in the Gryffindor tower. Fred and George had a place in another part of the school to keep their phial that would not be searched. They couldn't help it if the Snakes didn't take a similar precaution, but they weren't about to suggest it either. Someone might get caught and put in detention or even expelled, but it wouldn't be any of the Lions.

They decided to leave it to Harry and Richard to keep Professor Snape busy long enough to deposit their potion in the safe place and get everyone back to their dorms. The twins were not ready to tell about this secret place. They swore that they would not inform on the Snakes, but they wouldn't be too bothered about it if the Snakes didn't have the wits to hide their potion sufficiently.

As they were leaving, they informed Harry about what he was to do. Harry convinced Griffith to return to the dorm promising him that they would meet the next day at Slytherin table. When he was at a suitable distance, he said to no one in particular, "Come out, Minion."

Neville appeared out of the cloak, scowling, "You do realise that we have taken a hard task, minion? I mean if Snape finds out that we're out after curfew, he'll do everything in his power to get us expelled. And still, we're going to deliberately seek him out to do something to him. Are we completely mental?"

Harry waved aside his concerns, "We'll stay under the cloak and use the map to find him. When we find him, we'll stun him before he even knows we're there. Then we'll have Kreacher deposit him somewhere outside of the school at some place where he won't wake up until morning."

Neville said apprehensively, "That's too much work for a prank. Why don't we leave him in the Shrieking Shack instead? That way, he'll be quite safe and won't be lost. But he's also a teacher. Do you think it's right?"

Harry shook his head, "If they can prove that we attacked a teacher, we'll be expelled for sure. But when your mates are counting on you, you don't worry about how hard it is or the consequences. You just get the job done. Besides, if he connects us with the missing potions, we'll be expelled anyway. So in for a knut, in for a galleon."

Neville reluctantly agreed, "Alright. Let's do this."

One glance at the map showed that Snape was still on the third floor. Only now, Quirrell was there too. Immediately, a flash went through Harry's mind and he thought that he'd better do something to stop Snape because he didn't believe that Quirrell would make much of an obstacle to keep Snape from the Sorcerer's Stone. They hurried through the shortcuts to arrive at the third floor in time to see Snape menacing Quirrell, his wand at the turbaned professor's throat, The Defence teacher's face white with horror. From under the invisibility cloak and behind the tapestry that hid the secret passage, they carefully poked out the very tips of their wands. Neville stunned Snape and Harry stunned Quirrell. The two professors slumped against each other then tumbled to the floor. They couldn't take a chance by leaving any witnesses.

With the two professors down, Harry summoned his aged house elf. It was the work of less than a minute for Kreacher to deposit Snape in the Shrieking Shack. A moment later, Quirrell was tucked neatly into his own bed.

For all the bravery that Quirrell had shown in the face of Snape, it was the least that they could do for him.


End file.
